Long-term changes in brain following continuous phencyclidine administration: an autoradiographic study using flunitrazepam, ketanserin, mazindol, quinuclidinyl benzilate, piperidyl-3,4-3H(N)-TCP, and AMPA receptor ligands.
Pharmacology & toxicology January 1, 1999 G Ellison, A Keys, K Noguchi
Continuous administration of phencyclidine (PCP) to rats over several days causes neural degeneration in limbic brain structures such as the retrosplenial cortex, hippocampus, and piriform cortex. Twenty-one days after the same dosing regimen, autoradiography revealed enduring changes in several receptor types—including decreased binding of TCP, flunitrazepam, and mazindol—in many limbic regions where degeneration had been reported. Unexpectedly, some long-term receptor alterations appeared in structures without immediate signs of degeneration, like the anterior cingulate cortex and caudate nucleus, and some changes developed gradually after drug cessation. These findings do not point to a single source for the neurotoxicity and may inform models of schizophrenia.