A developmental study of the dopamine D2R receptors in the human basal ganglia and thalamus

The development of the dopamine D2R receptors (D2R) in the human basal ganglia (BG) and thalamus was investigated in 25 normal brains by means of an immunohistochemical method and Western blotting. Immunoreactivity to D2R was detected in the cytoplasm and dendrites of small and large neurons in the BG and thalamus. D2R-positive neurons were clearly observed at 19 weeks of gestation (GW) in the globus pallidus and thalamus, and at 21 GW in the striatum. The number of D2R-positive neurons gradually increased and reached a peak at 27 GW in the globus pallidus, at 39 GW in the thalamus, and at 1 month of age in the striatum. The number of D2R-positive large neurons in the globus pallidus and small neurons in the striatum decreased after 1 year and about 10 years of age, respectively. Western blotting confirmed the specificity of the immunohistochemistry. Our results suggest that the D2R protein begins to be synthesized at an early fetal stage in the BG and thalamus, and the development of D2R is mostly consistent with neuronal maturation in the BG. D2R may play an important role in regulating the neuronal development of the BG. The decrease in D2R-positive neurons may be related to D2R post-transcriptional regulation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.