Lymphocyte peripheral benzodiazepine receptor mRNA decreases in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract The relative content of peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (pBR) mRNA was examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in lymphocytes of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, according to their clinical course of illness. pBR mRNA significantly decreased only in chronic OCD patients ( n =8) as compared to controls ( n =10), whereas no significant changes were observed in episodic OCD patients ( n =7). We suggest that modulation of pBR gene expression might delineate a clinical heterogeneity in OCD.