Tritiated LSD Binding in Frontal Cortex in Schizophrenia
Archives of General Psychiatry – March 01, 1981
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Binding of tritiated LSD to the frontal cortex is crucial for understanding schizophrenia, with previous reports suggesting a reduced number of serotonin receptors. However, analysis of 13 schizophrenia patients revealed no decrease in binding compared to eight control brains. Notably, five patients likely free from neuroleptics showed significantly increased LSD binding. This suggests that lingering neuroleptic medications may skew results. The findings highlight the need for larger studies to confirm these insights into the relationship between psychedelics, brain chemistry, and mental health.
Abstract
It has been reported that the binding of tritiated LSD (at 2 or 4 nm) to frontal cortex is reduced in schizophrenia, a finding that has been interpreted as a reduction in the number of serotonin receptors. The present study, however, reveals in a Scatchard analysis of tritiated LSD binding in frontal cortex in the brains of 13 schizophrenic patients that there was no decrease in binding by comparison with eight control brains. Quantities of neuroleptic remaining in the brain after death cannot be readily washed out and could have led to the previous report of reduced LSD binding. A decrease in affinity of LSD binding sites consistent with this possibility has been demonstrated in chlorpromazine-treated rats. In the brains of five patients who had probably been neuroleptic-free for the year before death, tritiated LSD binding was significantly increased. This result needs to be replicated in larger samples.