Benzodiazepine receptor synthesis and degradation by neurons in culture.

The benzodiazepine-gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor complex was used to study functional receptor synthesis and degradation in primary cultures of neurons. Fifty percent of the receptors turned over with an unusually rapid half-life (4 hours); this was followed by a second, slower phase (32 hours). These results provide the basis for elucidating the mechanism by which neurons derived from the central nervous system control neurotransmitter receptor number, an important problem in cellular neurobiology. The findings may be of significance in the study of neurological and psychiatric disorders.