TY - JOUR
T1 - Benzodiazepine receptors mediate regional blood flow changes in the living human brain
AU - Matthew, Elizabeth
AU - Andreason, Paul
AU - Pettigrew, Karen
AU - Carson, Richard E.
AU - Herscovitch, Peter
AU - Cohen, Robert
AU - King, Catherine
AU - Johanson, Chris Ellyn
AU - Greenblatt, David J.
AU - Paul, Steven M.
PY - 1995/3/28
Y1 - 1995/3/28
N2 - We studied the effects of a high-affinity γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- benzodiazepine-receptor agonist (lorazepam) and an antagonist (flumazenil) in humans, using H215O positron-emission tomography. Administration of lorazepam to healthy volunteers caused time- and dose-dependent reductions in regional cerebral blood flow and self-reported alterations in behavioral/mood parameters. Flumazenil administration reversed these changes. These observations indicated that benzodiazepine-induced effects on regional cerebral blood flow and mood/behavior are mediated at some level through GABA-benzodiazepine receptors, although the specific mechanism remains unclear. The approach described here provides a method for quantifying GABA- benzodiazepine-receptor-mediated neurotransmission in the living human brain and may be useful for studying the role of these receptors in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders.
AB - We studied the effects of a high-affinity γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- benzodiazepine-receptor agonist (lorazepam) and an antagonist (flumazenil) in humans, using H215O positron-emission tomography. Administration of lorazepam to healthy volunteers caused time- and dose-dependent reductions in regional cerebral blood flow and self-reported alterations in behavioral/mood parameters. Flumazenil administration reversed these changes. These observations indicated that benzodiazepine-induced effects on regional cerebral blood flow and mood/behavior are mediated at some level through GABA-benzodiazepine receptors, although the specific mechanism remains unclear. The approach described here provides a method for quantifying GABA- benzodiazepine-receptor-mediated neurotransmission in the living human brain and may be useful for studying the role of these receptors in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders.
KW - HO positron-emission tomography
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0028926234&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.92.7.2775
DO - 10.1073/pnas.92.7.2775
M3 - Article
C2 - 7708722
AN - SCOPUS:0028926234
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 92
SP - 2775
EP - 2779
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 7
ER -