Brain adenosine receptors in Maudsley reactive and non-reactive rats

Previous work in our laboratory has shown that the Maudsley reactive (MR) strain of rats cannot be differentiated from the Maudsley non-reactive (MNR) strain regarding the number or affinity of their brain benzodiazepine binding sites. In the present study we show that the number of cerebellar adenosine receptors (as studied using [3H]cyclohexyladenosine, [3H]CHA, as the ligand) are increased by 15-30% in the MR strain. This alteration was corroborated by quantitative autoradiographic analysis and found to be localized to the molecular layer of the cerebellum where adenosine receptors are believed to reside on parallel fibers of cerebellar granule cells.