Benzodiazepine and GABA receptors in early Huntington's disease.

We compared autoradiographic measurements of GABA and benzodiazepine receptors in the brains of two early cases of Huntington's disease (HD), five controls, and four advanced cases of HD. These receptors increase in lateral globus pallidus and decrease in putamen early in the disease, before there is any extensive cell loss and atrophy. The cause of these receptor changes is unknown, but could imply dysfunction rather than death of striatal neurons.