Schizophrenia: elevated mRNA for dopamine D2 sub(Longer) receptors in frontal cortex

• Published in: Brain research. Molecular brain research. Vol. 87; no. 2; pp. 160 - 165
• Main Authors: Tallerico, T, Novak, G, Liu, ISC, Ulpian, C, Seeman, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 05.03.2001
• Subjects: clozapine; quetiapine
• ISSN: 0169-328X

Because dopamine D2 receptors are the primary targets for antipsychotic drugs, including clozapine and quetiapine, and because some studies have found D2 receptors to be elevated in schizophrenia, we examined the mRNA of three forms of the D2 receptor, particularly the new form of the dopamine D2 receptor, D2 sub(Longer), in post-mortem brains from patients who died with schizophrenia. Using quantitative competitive RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction), the D2 sub(Longer) mRNA was higher in the frontal cortex, compared to control tissues. The mRNA concentration of D2 sub(Long) and D2 sub(Short) was also higher in the frontal cortex, compared to control tissues. Although most of the schizophrenia patients had received different antipsychotic drugs for varying periods of time, the mRNA of D2 sub(Longer), as well as that for D2 sub(Long) and D2 sub(Short), in such medicated tissues was similar to that in a frontal cortex tissue from a patient who had reliably never received antipsychotic drugs. It is possible, therefore, that the elevation of the mRNAs for D2 sub(Longer), D2 sub(Long) and D2 sub(Short) in the frontal cortex may be related to the disease of schizophrenia itself.