SEROTONIN 5-HT3 RECEPTORS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA - A POSTMORTEM STUDY OF THE AMYGDALA

Alterations in density of some serotonin receptor sites (5-HT1A recept ors, 5-HT2 receptors and 5-HT uptake sites) have been reported in Post mortem studies of brain obtained from subjects with schizophrenia, sug gesting a disturbance in serotonergic transmission in schizophrenia, T he purpose of the present study is to investigate [H-3]-LY278584 bindi ng to serotonin 5-HT3 receptors in postmortem samples of amygdala from schizophrenic and matched control subjects. As all of the schizophren ic patients but none of the controls had been treated with neuroleptic s, we first investigated in rodents the effects of short-term and long -term haloperidol administration on limbic 5-HT3 receptors, and we fou nd no effects. No differences in the maximum number of 5-HT3 binding s ites (B(max)) or equilibrium dissociation constant (K(d)) between schi zophrenics and controls were found in amygdala. This study does not su pport the presence of an alteration of 5-HT3 receptors in amygdala in schizophrenic patients.