title: Beta-adrenergic receptor binding in human and rat hypothalamus.
abstract: Quantitative autoradiographic analysis of beta-adrenergic binding sites was conducted in human postmortem hypothalamus using the radioligand 125I-pindolol. The focus was on the hypothalamic nuclei most clearly involved in corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) release, the PVN and SON. For comparison, the distribution of hypothalamic beta-adrenergic receptors was evaluated in the rat. A high level of beta-adrenergic receptor binding was found in the human paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON), but not in the rat. The majority of the beta-adrenergic receptors found in the human hypothalamus were of the beta 2-subtype. In contrast, in the rat hypothalamus, the majority of receptors were of the beta 1-subtype. These results show that the anatomical loci exist for direct beta-adrenergic influence on hypothalamic neuroendocrine function in the human and that the topography of beta-adrenergic receptors is markedly different in the rat and human hypothalamus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7160.
authors.forename: K Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Breese
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Stumpf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002102:Cadaver; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D010869:Pindolol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects*; D013495:Supraoptic Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D010907:Pituitary Hormones; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D010869:Pindolol