Increases in [3H]Muscimol and [3H]Flumazenil Binding in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia Are Linked to α4 and γ2S mRNA Levels Respectively

Background: GABAA receptors (GABAAR) are composed of several subunits that determine sensitivity to drugs, synaptic localisation and function. Recent studies suggest that agonists targeting selective GABAAR subunits may have therapeutic value against the cognitive impairments observed in schizophrenia. In this study, we determined whether GABAAR binding deficits exist in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of people with schizophrenia and tested if changes in GABAAR binding are related to the changes in subunit mRNAs. The GABA orthosteric and the benzodiazepine allosteric binding sites were assessed autoradiographically using [3H]Muscimol and [3H]Flumazenil, respectively, in a large cohort of individuals with schizophrenia (n = 37) and their matched controls (n = 37). We measured, using qPCR, mRNA of β (β1, β2, β3), γ (γ1, γ2, γ2S for short and γ2L for long isoform, γ3) and δ subunits and used our previous measurements of GABAAR α subunit mRNAs in order to relate mRNAs and binding through correlation and regression analysis. Results: Significant increases in both [3H]Muscimol (p = 0.016) and [3H]Flumazenil (p = 0.012) binding were found in the DLPFC of schizophrenia patients. Expression levels of mRNA subunits measured did not show any significant difference in schizophrenia compared to controls. Regression analysis revealed that in schizophrenia, the [3H]Muscimol binding variance was most related to α4 mRNA levels and the [3H]Flumazenil binding variance was most related to γ2S subunit mRNA levels. [3H]Muscimol and [3H]Flumazenil binding were not affected by the lifetime anti-psychotics dose (chlorpromazine equivalent). Conclusions: We report parallel increases in orthosteric and allosteric GABAAR binding sites in the DLPFC in schizophrenia that may be related to a “shift” in subunit composition towards α4 and γ2S respectively, which may compromise normal GABAergic modulation and function. Our results may have implications for the development of treatment strategies that target specific GABAAR receptor subunits.