Ontogenesis of monoamine oxidase-A and -B in the human brain frontal cortex.

The effect of several antemortem and postmortem factors (patients' age, sex, postmortem delay, storage time, laterality and brain weight) on both monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) and -B (MAO-B) activity was investigated in the frontal cortex of human brains. The MAO-A activity decreases rapidly during the first two years of life and remains constant thereafter. In contrast, the MAO-B activity keeps unchanged during early childhood and raises during advanced age.

Regional distribution of [3H]MK-801 binding sites in the human brain.

Specific [3H]MK-801 binding was measured under equilibrium conditions in 8 brain regions (frontal cortex, area entorhinalis, hippocampus, amygdala, putamen, thalamus, substantia nigra and nucleus dentatus) in the right hemisphere of the human brain (n = 4). In addition, binding was assessed in 3 of these regions (frontal cortex, area entorhinalis and putamen) in the left hemisphere. High [3H]MK-801 binding levels occurred in the area entorhinalis, frontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala, medium levels were observed in the putamen and thalamus and low levels were found in the substantia nigra and nucleus dentatus.

[3H]MK-801 binding sites in post-mortem human frontal cortex.

The binding of [3H]MK-801 ((+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine maleate) was investigated in extensively washed homogenates of post-mortem human frontal cortex. The association of [3H]MK-801 proceeded slowly (t1/2 = 553 min) and reached equilibrium only after a prolonged incubation (greater than 24 h). The dissociation of [3H]MK-801 from the binding site was also slow (t1/2 = 244 min).

Effect of antemortem and postmortem factors on [3H]MK-801 binding in the human brain: transient elevation during early childhood.

The effect of a number of antemortem and postmortem factors on [3H]MK-801 binding was investigated under equilibrium conditions in the frontal cortex of human brains of 38 controls. Binding values transiently increased during the early postnatal period reaching a maximum at the age of about 2 years. After age 10 years [3H]MK-801 binding sites disappeared at 5.

[3H]MK-801 binding sites in postmortem brain regions of schizophrenic patients.

[3H]MK-801 binding was used as a marker for the NMDA receptorion channel complex in postmortem brain samples from the frontal cortex, hippocampus, putamen, entorhinal region, and amygdala of schizophrenic patients and controls. In schizophrenia [3H]MK-801 binding levels were increased in all brain regions investigated reaching significance in the putamen.