BENZODIAZEPINE BINDING-SITES IN ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOTICS - EVIDENCE FOR GENDER DIFFERENCES

Synaptic plasma membranes were prepared from superior frontal gyrus an d motor cortex obtained at autopsy from 17 chronic alcoholics not diff erentiated on thiamine status, of whom 8 had pathologically confirmed cirrhosis of the liver, and 10 controls. Three of the cirrhotic alcoho lic cases were female, as was one control. Cases were closely matched for age at death and post-mortem delay. The affinity of ''central-type '' benzodiazepine sites for [H-3]diazepam tended to be lower in both b rain regions of both groups of alcoholics of cf controls, but the reve rse was true for [H-3]flunitrazepam, especially in cirrhotic cases. [H -3]Diazepam affinity was invariant across all males and the female con trol, but lower in the female cirrhotic alcoholics. Affinity for [H-3] flunitrazepam tended to be the reverse of that for [H-3]diazepam. [H-3 ]Diazepam Bmax was markedly lower in female cirrhotic alcoholics, espe cially in superior frontal gyrus, whereas this region showed a much hi gher Bmax in the female control case. A small regional difference in [ H-3]flunitrazepam Bmax was the reverse of that for [H-3]diazepam Bmax and was seen in all groups. GABA-mediated neurotransmission may be sel ectively altered in a pathologically abnormal region of cerebral corte x in cirrhotic alcoholics, and the sexes may show differing susceptibi lities to change.