AGE-RELATED-CHANGES IN [H-3] GBR-12935 BINDING-SITE DENSITY IN THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX OF CONTROLS AND SCHIZOPHRENICS

We investigated dopamine transporter receptor ligand binding in the prefrontal cortex as a function of age in schizophrenic and control postmortem brains. [H-3]GBR 12935 binding constants were calculated by Scatchard analysis from the autopsied brains from 29 individuals with schizophrenia, and 28 control subjects. There were wide interindividual variations in B-max and K-D that were not related to gender, age, or postmortem interval (PMI) in controls. While there were no significant associations between gender, PMI, and B-max, or K-D in individuals with schizophrenia, there was a significant negative correlation between age and B-max (r = -.44, p .02). The slope of the regression fines between age and B-max for the two groups was significantly different. The results suggest a differential effect of age, or something associated with age, on [H-3]GBR 12935 binding sites in the prefrontal cortex of controls and individuals with schizophrenia.