Necropsy study of GABA/benzodiazepine receptor binding sites in brain tissue from chronic alcoholic patients.

Abstract

Neurological and cognitive deficits occur in many chronic alcoholic patients. Quantitative studies reveal a significant reduction in the number of neurons in the superior frontal gyrus of chronic alcoholics, with no change in the motor cortex. Our studies are aimed at delineating which neurotransmitter systems are altered in alcoholics and to correlate these alterations with morphometry and, where possible, clinical signs. Much evidence suggests both short- and long-term effects of ethanol on GABA-mediated neurotransmission. GABA and benzodiazepines bind to distinct, but allosterically linked, sites on the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor complex. In the absence of any detected difference in the..