Alpha-2 adrenergic receptor binding in platelets and brains of nervous and normal pointer dogs.

Nervous pointer dogs have been suggested as an animal model for certain human pathological anxiety states. Work done in humans and in animals suggests a role for noradrenergic overactivity in the manifestations of anxiety. We studied alpha 2 adrenergic receptor binding as determined by [3H]-yohimbine in platelets and brains of the nervous and normal dogs in our colony. Our findings indicate that alpha 2 adrenergic receptor density and affinity are similar in platelets and frontal cortex, but we did not observe significant differences in binding between the two groups of dogs.