Regionally Selective Increases in mu Opioid Receptor Density in the Brains of Suicide Victims

The effect of aging & suicide on mu opioid receptors was studied in the human brain postmortem. Quantitative autoradiography with 3HDAGO revealed region specific increases in mu receptor density with age. Suicide was accompanied by a significant increase, up to 9-fold, in mu receptor density in the young, but not the old subjects, as compared to age-matched controls. This effect was evident in the frontal & temporal cortical gyri. (29 refs.)