Neuroanatomical patterns of the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors of rat brain as determined by quantitative in vitro autoradiography

Journal Article · Mon Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.84.12.4308· OSTI ID:6478718

Tempel, A; Zukin, R S

Highly specific radioligands and quantitative autoradiography reveal strikingly different neuroanatomical patterns for the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors of rat brain. The mu receptors are most densely localized in patches in the striatum, layers I and III of the cortex, the pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampal formation, specific nuclei of the thalamus, the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra, the interpeduncular nucleus, and the locus coeruleus. In contrast, delta receptors are highly confined, exhibiting selective localization in layers I, II, and VIa of the neocortex, a diffuse pattern in the striatum, and moderate concentration in the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra and in the interpeduncular nucleus. delta receptors are absent in most other brain structures. This distribution is unexpected in that the enkephalins, the putative endogenous ligands of the delta receptor, occur essentially throughout the brain. The kappa receptors of rat brain exhibit a third pattern distinct from that of the mu and delta receptors. kappa receptors occur at low density in patches in the striatum and at particularly high density in the nucleus accumbens, along the pyramidal and molecular layers of the hippocampus, in the granular cell layer of the dentate gyrus, specific midline nuclei of the thalamus, and hindbrain regions. kappa receptors appear to be uniformly distributed across regions in the neocortex with the exception of layer III, which revealed only trace levels of binding. An important conclusion of the present study is that delta receptors occur at high density only in the forebrain and in two midbrain structures, whereas mu and kappa receptors exhibit discrete patterns in most major brain regions.

• Research Organization: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
• OSTI ID: 6478718
• Journal Information: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States), Journal Name: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; (United States) Vol. 12; ISSN PNASA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION
BODY
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANTS
DISTRIBUTION
DRUGS
ENDORPHINS
ENKEPHALINS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IN VITRO
ISOTOPES
LIGANDS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAMMALS
MEMBRANE PROTEINS
NARCOTICS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEUROREGULATORS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PEPTIDES
POLYPEPTIDES
PROTEINS
RADIOISOTOPES
RATS
RECEPTORS
RODENTS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
TRITIUM
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES