Abstract
Neurotransmitter-receptor binding sites for apparent muscarinic cholinergic, beta-adrenergic, gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin receptors were measured in the caudate nucleus and frontal cerebral cortex from post-mortem brains of 16 patients with Huntington's chorea and 16 controls. In addition, the samples were assayed for the gamma-aminobutyric-acid-synthesizing enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase, and for the acetylcholine-synthesizing enzyme, choline acetyltransferase. In the caudate nucleus of choreic brain, both enzyme activities were markedly lower, with significant decreases in muscarinic cholinergic and serotonin receptor binding, whereas enzyme activities and receptor binding were unchanged in the cerebral cortex. By contrast, gamma-aminobutyric acid and beta-adrenergic receptor binding were not significantly different in choreic and control caudate nucleus or cortex, suggesting that, despite the loss of gamma-aminobutyric-acid-synthesizing ability in the corpus striatum, gamma-aminobuytric acid mimetic drugs might alleviate the movement disorders in Huntington's chorea.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
