title: Postmortem decay in glucocorticoid binding in human and primate brain.
abstract: Numerous studies of glucorticoid receptors in the rodent brain suggest that similar studies of normal or diseased human brains might be informative. However, a major confound in quantification of such receptors is their possible decay during the lagtime between death and autopsy. We find evidence for such decay. Assay conditions were optimized in a number of ways to remove endogenous glucocorticoids occupying receptors at the time of death. Despite this, [3H]dexamethasone binding in 3-4.5 h postmortem human hippocampus was approximately half that of fresh human primate tissue, while no binding was detectable in 12-24 h postmortem material. In support of the idea of postmortem decay of these receptors, binding in slices of primate temporal cortex left at room temperature declined approximately 50% by 6 h postmortem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sapolsky
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Meaney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008254:Macaca nemestrina; D008297:Male; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D003907:Dexamethasone