Dopamine D2 receptors increase in the dorsolateral striatum of weaver mutant mice.

Dopamine D2 receptors were studied in homozygous weaver mutant mice (wv/wv), heterozygous littermates (wv/+), and normal mice (+/+). Specific [3H]spiperone binding was significantly higher in the dorsolateral part of the striatum in the weaver mutant mice (wv/wv) than in normal mice (+/+). No significant differences among the 3 genotypes were found in other parts of the striatum or in the nucleus accumbens.