Serotonin1A receptors are increased in postmortem prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.

Serotonin-5-HT1A receptors were measured with [3H]8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propyl)aminotetralin ([3H]8-OH-DPAT) in postmortem prefrontal cortex of 12 pairs of subjects with schizophrenia and age-matched control subjects. The saturation binding isotherms of [3H]8-OH-DPAT revealed high- and low-affinity binding sites. The density (Bmax) of the high-affinity sites was significantly elevated by an average of 79% in subjects with schizophrenia. The dissociation constant (Kd) of the high-affinity sites in subjects with schizophrenia was not significantly different from the control subjects. These results provide further evidence for a role of the serotonergic system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.