Unaltered Alpha2-Noradrenergic/Imidazoline Receptors in Suicide Victims: a Postmortem Brain Autoradiographic Analysis

In vitro quantitative autoradiography of alpha2-adrenergic/imidazoline receptors, using 125Iiodoclonidine as a ligand, was performed on 24 human brains postmortem. 12 brains were obtained from suicide victims and 12 from matched controls. No significant region-dependent alterations were found in the density of alpha2-adrenergic receptors in brains of suicide victims compard to matched controls. Age-dependent reductions in binding in the prefrontal cortex & hippocampus, as well as significant recent alcohol ingestion-dependent reductions in binding in the prefrontal cortex are also reported. Sex & time from death to autopsy did not affect iodoclonidine binding in this sample. (38 refs.)