History of the Discovery of the Antipsychotic Dopamine D2 Receptor: A Basis for the Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia

The 1975 publication of Seeman et al. (Proc Nat Acad Sci, USA), reporting the discovery of the antipsychotic receptor in the brain, is a classic example of translational medicine research. In searching for a pathophysiological mechanism of psychosis, the team sought to identify sites that bound the antipsychotic drug haloperidol. Their criterion was that haloperidol bound to the site at one to two nanomoles per liter, corresponding to haloperidol concentrations found in spinal fluid or plasma water in treated patients. They requested de novo synthesis of tritiated haloperidol, and it readily detected specific haloperidol binding sites in brain striatum. With dopamine binding the haloperidol-labeled sites with higher potency than other neurotransmitters, the sites were named antipsychotic/dopamine receptors (now designated dopamine D2 receptors). Most significantly, they found that all antipsychotics bound these sites at concentrations and with a rank order of potencies that were directly related to the mean daily antipsychotic dose taken by patients with schizophrenia. Their findings enabled screening for new antipsychotics, initiated D2 receptor measurements in brain of living patients, and determination of minimum occupancy (65%) of D2 receptors for antipsychotic benefit. The collective work is generally viewed as providing a fundamental basis for the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia.     

The Iranian Chapter in the History of the Chuvash

The influence of the Iranian culture on Eastern Europe is undisputable. Scholars write of the Southern-Iranian road which stretched from the south, from the Parthians, Persia, and the Transcaucasia, to the north Iranian way through Khwarezm and as far as the Volga. The extent of the Iranian influence on the tribes populating southern Siberia prior to the Common Era however, is much less clear. It is believed that the Savirs/Suvars were the ancestors of the Chuvash. Although this theory has not yet been proven fully, it has served as a theme for historical and philological research. Drawing on geographic, religious, and linguistic materials this study attempts to trace the relationship between Iranian tribes and the Savir ancestors of the Chuvash.     

From Para to Manaos: A trip up the lower Amazon

This paper examines the General Elections of 1983, 1987 and 1992 and argues that not only has the SNP increased its share of the popular vote, but that share has become increasingly evenly distributed across Scotland. Thus, the SNP is becoming a truly ‘national’ party, where once it's support was geographically concentrated in areas of reduced class‐conciousness and strong local leaders. This new distribution is accounted for, in part, through the use of the SNP as a ‘protest’ vote.     

Books received in 1972

GREAT BRITAIN

Patterns of Highland Development. By David Turnock, 8.9 × 6.3, xiii + 272 pages, 32 figures, 32 plates. Macmillan, London, 1970. £8.

Soil Survey of Scotland, Bulletin No. 1: The Soils of Candacraig and Glenbuchat. By R. E. F. Heslop and C. J. Brown. 9 1/2 × 6, 116 pp., 13 tables, 3 maps (2 loose, folded), appendices, references, Index. Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, Aberdeen, 1969.

Southwest England. By A. H. Shorter, W. L. D. Ravenhill and K. J. Gregory. 15.5 × 23.5 cm. xii + 340 pp., 95 maps and diagrams, 3 tables, 55 plates, 1 folded map, selected references, index. Nelson, London, 1969. £5.25.

Land and Leisure. By J. Allan Patmore. 8 3/4 × 5 3/4, 322 pp., 26 plates, 84 illustrations and maps. David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1970. £4.20.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

The Value of Weather. By W. J. Maunder. 9×5 3/4, 388 pp. Methuen, London. £3.75; also University Paperback. £2.00.

The Periglacial Environment. By Troy L. Péivé. McGill‐Queen's University Press, 1969. £11.25.

Glacier Surveys in British Columbia: Vol. 1 English System; Vol. 2 Metric System. By I. A. Reid and J. Shastal. Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Canada, Report series No. 10. 1968.

Coasts and Beaches. By J. A. Steers. 7×4 1/2. 136 pp. Illustrated. (Contemporary Science Paperback). Oliver &; Boyd,. Edinburgh, 1969. 37 1/2p.

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Urban Analysis. A Study of City Structure with Special Reference to Sunderland. By B. T. Robson. Cambridge Geographical Studies, No. 1. 9 1/4 × 6 1/4. 302 pp. Maps and Tables. Bibliography. Cambridge U.P., London, 1969. £4.00

The Harsh Lands. By David Grieg. 8 3/4 × 5 3/4, 321 pp., 24 figures, 30 tables. Macmillan, London, 1970. £3.50. Paperback, £1.75.

ATLASES AND MAPS

The National Atlas of Disease Mortality in the United Kingdom. Revised and extended edition. By G. Melvyn Howe on behalf of the Royal Geographical Society. 11 1/4 × 8 3/4, 197 pp. Nelson, London. £5.25.

Maps for Books and Theses. By A. G. Hodgkiss. 8 3/4 × 5 1/2, 267 pp., 8 plates, 88 illustrations. David &; Charles, Newton Abbot, 1970. £2.75.

>EDUCATION

Landscape Studies—An Introduction to Geomorphology. By K. E. Sawyer. 10 3/4 × 8 1/2, x + 148 pp., 28 map extracts, 52 photographs, 124 field sketches, sketches, diagrams. Edward Arnold, London, 1970. £200.

Water for Power and Irrigation. By J. M. Pritchard. 9 3/4 × 6, 36 pp., 18 maps, diagrams. Dent, London, 1970. 30p.

Britain and World Trade. C. W. Park. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2, 176 pp., 46 diagrams and maps, 10 plates, tables, index. English Universities Press, London. 65p.

Ethiopia in Pictures. By Alfred Allotey Acquaye. Iraq in pictures. By Jon A. Teta. Visual , Geography Series. 10i x 6|, 64 pp. The Oak Tree Press Ltd., 1970. 95p.

World Population and Food Supply. J. H. Lowry. 9 3/4 × 7 3/8, 112 pp., charts, tables, diagrams, maps, plates. E. Arnold &; Sons Ltd. 1970. £1.00.

Landscape Studies Series. (7 titles). Edited by W. K. Birrell. 7 × 9 1/2. approx. 50 pp. Jacaranda Press, 1969. 49p.each.

Jackdaw Publications. No. 76 Volcanoes, by G. Jefferies. No. 77 The Motor Industry by G. Jefferies. No. 79 Dairy Farming by J. L. Jones. Folder 9 × 13 1/2. Jonathan Cape, 1969. 60p.each.

Field Studies for Schools. Volume 4. Field Excursions in North Wales. Edited by F. E. Clegg. 7 1/4 × 4 1/4, 174 pp., 8 plates, 25 maps and diagrams. Rivingtons, London, 1969. 90p.

Field Studies for Schools. Volume 3. Field Excursions in Eastern Scotland. Edited by R. B.. Salmon. 7 1/4 × 4 3/4, 8 plates, 18 maps and diagrams. Rivingtons, London, 1969. 90p.

Modern Geography Series, Book VIII, Africa: By A. W. Coysh and M. E. Tomlinson. 7 3/4 × 5 1/4, 226 pp., plates, maps and diagrams. University Tutorial Press, London, 1970. 67 1/2p.

Mauritius: A Geographical Survey. By T. Ramdin. 9 3/4 × 7 1/2. 64 pp. 7 full page maps in colour. Many photographs and sketch‐maps. Examination questions and bibliography. University Tutorial Press, London, 1969. 45p.

New Secondary Geographies: ‘Asia and North America’. By R. A. Beddis. 192 pp., 6 3/8 × 8 3/8 University of London Press. 90p.

Focal Points in Geography: ‘Asia and North America’. By R. A. Beddis. 9 3/4 × 7 3/8, 80 pp. University of London Press. 65p.

Europe in Maps. By R. Knowles and P. W. R. Stowe. 96 pp., 19 maps, 22 photographs, 23 figures. Longmans, London, 1969. £1.50.

Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. By H. Tolley and K. Orrell. 9 3/4 × 7 1/2. 96 pp., 94 figs. Geography of the British Isles Series. Cambridge U.P., London, 1970.65p.

Basic Geography. By D. C. Money. 10 × 7 1/2, 162 pp. University Tutorial Press, London, 1970. £1.10.

The Earth's Surface. By D. C. Money. 7 1/2 × 10, 168 pp. Evans Bros., London, 1970. £1.25. These two books by Mr. Money overlap in subject matter but the scope and treatment are rather different.