Chunk #22 — Results — Higher mRNA expression level of eleven glutamate and five GABA-A receptor subunits in the caudate nucleus as compared to the putamen in non-alcoholic controls
2.91. The largest difference between the two regions was observed for the α1 subunit that was expressed at about 3-fold higher level in the caudate. The GABA-A receptor α1, α2, and α3 subunits are often found in synapses, whereas the α4, α5, and α6 subunits are almost exclusively located outside of synapses where they contribute to tonic currents (Lindquist and Birnir, 2006; Jin et al., 2011b; Brickley and Mody, 2012). Interestingly, both in the caudate and putamen, the mRNA expression levels of the α4 and α5 subunits in this study were similar to or higher than those of the subunits normally found in synapses, suggesting a strong contribution of tonic inhibitory currents in the human striatal neurons.
