Quantitative Relationships of Five Putative Neurotransmitter Receptor Sites in Rat Hippocampal Formation

The hippocampus is well suited for studies of the interrelationships of various neurotransmitter systems in the CNS by reason of its simple laminated organization, defined connections, and variety of identified neurotransmitters. We have studied the biochemical and pharmacological properties of five radiolabeled ligand binding sites in a membrane fraction prepared from rat hippocampal formation. These binding sites are thought to identify recognition sites for neurotransmitter receptors. The rank order of ligand binding sites is [3H]muscimol > [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate > [3H]dihydroergocryptine > [3H]dihydroalprenolol > 125I-labeled alpha-bungarotoxin. All ligands have a single, saturable, high-affinity binding site. Pharmacological characterization of the ligand binding sites indicates properties consistent with the identification of these sites as neurotransmitter receptors.