Benzodiazepine receptors in "emotional" and "non-emotional" mice; comparison of four strains.

The binding of 3H-diazepam to membrane benzodiazepine receptors was examined in four inbred strains of mice. "Emotional" or "anxious" BALB/cJ mice had significantly lower specific benzodiazepine binding when compared with three other "non-emotional" strains. Scatchard analysis demonstrated that the lower specific benzodiazepine binding is the result of a lower density of receptors in the "emotional" BALB/cJ mice. These results reinforce the contention that a system involving the benzodiazepine receptor may play a role in emotional behavior.