Chronic imipramine treatment reduces (+)2-[125I]iodolysergic acid, diethylamide but not 125I-neuropeptide Y binding in layer IV of rat cerebral cortex.

The effects of chronic oral (2 X 10 mumol/kg, twice daily for 14 days) imipramine treatment on (+)2-[125I]-iodolysergic acid, diethylamide (125I-LSD) and 125I-neuropeptide Y (125I-NPY) receptor binding were examined in rat cerebral cortex by quantitative receptor autoradiography. A 35% reduction of 125I-LSD binding was observed in layer IV, both in the frontal and occipital cortex, while there was no significant change in 125I-NPY binding. The observed decrease in 125I-LSD binding is probably due to a reduction in the density of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors of the 5-HT2 type. This reduction may represent a disturbance in the 5-HT synapses, regulating the transmission of the specific afferents innervating layer IV of the cerebral cortex.