Brain dopamine D-2 receptors in senile dementia.
Brain dopamine D-2 receptors were analysed in the caudate nucleus, putamen and nucleus accumbens in 49 patients with different types of neuropathologically verified dementia and in 39 controls by the binding of 3H-spiroperidol. The binding was significantly decreased in all brain areas in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), while the changes in patients with multi-infarct dementia (MID) or combined dementia (CD) were non-significant. According to a Scatchard analysis, this decrease in binding was due to the reduced number of receptors. On the other hand, the binding of 3H-spiroperidol was significantly increased in those patients who had received neuroleptic drugs. Significant correlations between 3H-spiroperidol binding and neuropathological changes were seen only in AD patients in the nucleus accumbens. The nucleus accumbens was also the only brain area in which there was a significant correlation between dopamine D-2 and the number of muscarinic receptors in AD patients. The findings of this study on dopamine D-2 receptors suggest the involvement of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in AD but not in the other two major types of dementia.
Rinne
J O
JO
Säkö
E
E
Paljärvi
L
L
Mölsä
P K
PK
Rinne
U K
UK
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000032:analysis; D003704:Dementia / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000032:analysis; D011813:Quinuclidinyl Benzilate / Q000378:metabolism; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000032:analysis*; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000032:analysis; D013134:Spiperone / Q000378:metabolism
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D013134:Spiperone; D011813:Quinuclidinyl Benzilate