Benzodiazepine binding sites in alcoholic cirrhotics: evidence for gender differences

Synaptic plasma membranes were prepared from superior frontal gyrus and motor cortex obtained at autopsy from 17 chronic alcoholics not differentiated on thiamine status, of whom 8 had pathologically confirmed cirrhosis of the liver, and 10 controls. Three of the cirrhotic alcoholic cases were female, as was one control. Cases were closely matched for age at death and post-mortem delay. The affinity of central-type benzodiazepine sites for ³H]diazepam tended to be lower in both brain regions of both groups of alcoholics ofcf controls, but the reverse was true for ³H]flunitrazepam, especially in cirrhotic cases. ³H]Diazepam affinity was invariant across all males and the female control, but lower in the female cirrhotic alcoholics. Affinity for ³H]flunitrazepam tended to be the reverse of that for ³H]diazepam. ³H]Diazepam B_max was markedly lower in female cirrhotic alcoholics, especially in superior frontal gyrus, whereas this region showed a much higher B_max in the female control case. A small regional difference in ³H]flunitrazepam B_max was the reverse of that for ³H]diazepam B_max and was seen in all groups. GABA-mediated neurotransmission may be selectively altered in a pathologically abnormal region of cerebral cortex in cirrhotic alcoholics, and the sexes may show differing susceptibilities to change.