Hormonal Receptor Plasticity in the Brain as Shown by In Vitro Quantitative Autoradiography

Binding of neuroactive substances to specific receptor sites initiates sophisticated events which result in specific pharmacological, behavioral and physiological responses. The complex organization and the tissular heterogeneity of most of the endocrine organs have led to the development of new methodologies for the precise localization of these binding sites. Together with constant progress obtained for the biochemical characterization of those binding sites by conventional binding assays (mainly carried out on membrane preparations), recent autoradiographic techniques provide us with new interpretations about the numerous interactions underlying brain functions.