CHANGE IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SPIPERONE-H-3 BINDING TO RAT STRIATAL MEMBRANES AFTER ACUTE CHLORPROMAZINE ADMINISTRATION - EFFECTS OF BUFFER WASHING OF MEMBRANES

After intraperitoneal injections of 3H-spiperone into the rat, brain membrane preparations retain the majority of the radioactivity even after several buffer washes. With 3H-spiperone as ligand, dissociation constants were significantly elevated and maximum binding unchanged in rat striatal membranes after acute intraperitoneal injection of chlorpromazine (14 mg/kg). It is suggested that in studies of post-mortem brains of schizophrenics that contain neuroleptics specific 3H-spiperone binding will be lowered by competition from residual drug in membrane preparations and valid comparisons of 3H-spiperone binding to preparations from control and schizophrenic brains can only be made if maximum binding values are determined. © 1979.