APPLICATIONS OF MOLECULAR-BIOLOGY AND EXPRESSION STUDIES TO THE INVESTIGATION OF SEROTONIN-1A AND SEROTONIN-2 RECEPTOR SUBTYPES IN HUMAN BRAIN

The use of molecular biology techniques in the study of central nervou s system (CNS) functions is currently expanding at an exponential leve l. The possibilities offered by such methodologies is attracting an in creasing number of researchers for their broad applicability and for t heir promise to permit the investigation of different proteins, in par ticular of enzymes responsible for the synthesis and catabolism of neu rotransmitters, as well as of neuroreceptors, step by step, from gene to transcription to posttranscriptional processes. Nowadays, a general knowledge of such methods and of how they can be used in CNS studies is fundamental for psychiatrists, even if not directly involved in bas ic research. The authors will review the most common gene expression t echniques which are used in biological psychiatry. They will also pres ent the results of some studies in which the particular methodologies of mRNA expression and in situ hybridization have been applied to the investigation of some serotonin receptor subtypes in the human brain, in parallel with binding studies.