Distribution of GABAB binding sites in the thalamus and basal ganglia of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

The regional distribution of GABA(B) receptor binding sites in the thalamus and basal ganglia of rhesus monkey has been determined by receptor autoradiography using the agonist ligand, [(3)H]-GABA. Whilst binding sites were evident throughout the thalamus, the internuclear differences in the B(max) were up to 10-fold. In the basal ganglia the binding density was on average lower than in the thalamus. The highest number of binding sites was in striatum followed closely by substantia nigra. In both the thalamus and basal ganglia, the binding density was higher than previously described in the rat. Although our results do not allow us to differentiate between presynaptic and postsynaptic locations of GABA(B) sites we conclude that with a few exceptions the distribution pattern of GABA(B) binding sites in the monkey thalamus appears to correlate with the known innervation from the NRT. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.