Fetal human brain exhibits a prenatal peak in the density of serotonin 5-HT1A receptors

Osnat Bar-Peled*, Ruth Gross-Isseroff, Herzl Ben-Hur, Iffath Hoskins, Yoram Groner, Anat Biegon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

106 Scopus citations

Abstract

High densities of serotonergic 5-HT1A receptors, in excess of adult levels, were found in the human fetal brain between the 16th and 22nd weeks of gestation. 5-HT1A receptors were measured by quantitative autoradiography using brain sections of fetuses aborted at gestational ages 16-22 weeks. The highest receptor concentrations were detected in the cortex and hippocampus. Two brains obtained from fetuses with Down's syndrome at 22 and 24 weeks gestation exhibited abnormal receptor levels compared to age matched controls. The presence of an early, prenatal peak of 5-HT1A receptors in fetal cortex and hippocampus suggests that these receptors play a role in human brain development and may also be involved in developmental disorders such as Down's syndrome.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)173-176
Number of pages4
JournalNeuroscience Letters
Volume127
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 24 Jun 1991
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Forchheimer Center of Molecular Genetics
Schilling-Stiftung fur Medizi-nische Forschung
Weizmann Institute
National Institutes of Health
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentR01HD021229

    Keywords

    • 5-HT receptor
    • Down's syndrome
    • Fetal human brain

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