Neurotransmitter receptors of the rolling mouse Nagoya: a quantitative autoradiographic study

The distribution of neurotransmitter and neuromodulator receptors was studied in the brain of the rolling mouse Nagoya (RMN) and in controls, using in vitro receptor autoradiography. Quantitative autoradiography was used to map adenosine A1 (labeled with [3H]cyclohexyladenosine), GABAA [( 3H]muscimol), opiate [( 3H]naloxone), L-glutamate [( 3H]L-glutamate), benzodiazepine [( 3H]flunitrazepam), and muscarinic cholinergic [( 3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate) receptors. In the cerebellar cortex, GABAA and adenosine A1 binding sites were significantly reduced in the RMN, whereas other transmitter binding sites were not significantly altered. Adenosine A1 binding sites were also reduced in the cerebral cortex and caudate-putamen. Benzodiazepine binding was significantly decreased in the cerebral cortex and increased in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus. These results suggest that neurochemical alterations in the caudate-putamen as well as in the cerebellar cortex play important roles in the ataxia and motor dysfunction of the RMN.