[3H] GBR 12935 binding to the dopamine uptake site in post-mortem brain tissue in schizophrenia

Specific [3H] GBR 12935 binding was performed on striatal tissue (caudate nucleus) obtained post-mortem from brains of schizophrenic patients and matched controls. Scatchard analysis of left and right hemisphere caudate tissue was performed on each individual subject. Kd and Bmax values were obtained by linear regression analysis of Scatchard plots. The results indicated no change in either the density or the affinity of the dopamine uptake site between schizophrenics and controls. Comparison of left and right hemisphere data also failed to demonstrate any asymmetry in the populations of dopamine uptake sites in both groups studied. The results do not support the hypothesis of a functional alteration of presynaptic dopamine systems in the caudate nucleus in schizophrenia.