Lack of effect of chronic dopamine receptor blockade on D2 dopamine receptor mRNA level

The chronic treatment of rats with antipsychotic drugs which increase striatal D2 dopamine receptors did not measurably increase the level of D2 receptor mRNA indicating that the observed increase in receptors was not primarily due to transcriptional regulation. These and other data suggest that the molecular mechanisms involved in receptor regulation in response to denervation or neurotransmitter depletion may be different from those which occur in response to chronic receptor blockade by antagonist drugs.