Dopamine in thelimbic regions of the human brain: normal and abnormal

Abstract

1. In the human brain, DA was found in appreciable amounts in most of the examined basal telencephalic limbic regions, with the nucleus accumbens having the highest mean level (3.38 microgram/g). In the cortical areas of the limbic lobe of Broca, DA could be measured with certainty only in the parolfactory gyrus (0.35 microgram/g). 2. In patients with Parkinson's disease, the DA concentration in the parolfactory gyrus and nucleur accumbens was markedly reduced, whereas little change was seen in the olfactory areas. Quantitatively, the DA decrease in the nucleus accumbens was of the same magnitude as in the caudate nucleus, being, in both regions, distinctly less severe than in the putamen. 3. In three cases of paranoid schizophrenia, there were no statistically significant changes of the mean levels of DA or HVA in the nucleus accumbens. However, the DA/HVA ratio was shifted noticeably in favor of HVA, possibly indicating an increase in DA turnover. This change was less pronounced in the putamen of these cases and was absent in the caudate nucleus. 4. The possibility of the substantia nigra contributing to the dopaminergic innervation of the human nucleus accumbens, as well as the significance of the observations on DA metabolism in the schizophrenic cases, is discussed.