Document Detail


The pharmacology and ionic dependency of amino acid responses in the frog spinal cord.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  4346988     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
1. The isolated frog spinal cord was used to study the action of amino acids and their antagonists on primary afferent terminals and motoneurones. The direct effects of these substances were observed by bathing the cord in 20 mM magnesium sulphate (thus blocking synaptic transmission) and recording the polarization level of the dorsal and ventral roots.2. gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamic acid depolarized the dorsal root and reduced dorsal-root potentials, while glycine produced only weak and variable effects. Glutamic acid also depolarized the ventral root; GABA usually produced either a hyperpolarization or had little effect, while glycine caused variable effects.3. Bicuculline and picrotoxin antagonized all the synaptic potentials recorded on the dorsal root, as well as the GABA responses on both dorsal and ventral roots.4. All the synaptic potentials examined remained and were markedly prolonged in the absence of external chloride except the ventral root-dorsal root potential. Replacement of the physiologic complement of chloride during chloride-free perfusion restored the potentials to their original time courses.5. Depolarizing amino acid responses remained in the absence of external chloride, while hyperpolarizing responses were reversed into depolarizations. Return to normal Ringer solution re-established the hyperpolarizations.6. Removal of external sodium reversibly abolished the amino acid depolarizations but had little effect on the depolarizations in response to applications of high external potassium concentrations.7. The results support the hypotheses (a) that GABA mediates presynaptic inhibition by depolarizing primary afferent terminals and (b) that the GABA-mediated depolarization is sodium dependent.8. The results also indicate that GABA utilizes different ionic mechanisms to mediate presynaptic inhibition (sodium) and post-synaptic inhibition (chloride) in the amphibian (and presumably in the mammal).
Authors:
J L Barker; R A Nicoll
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Publication Detail:
Type:  In Vitro; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Journal of physiology     Volume:  228     ISSN:  0022-3751     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Physiol. (Lond.)     Publication Date:  1973 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1973-04-06     Completed Date:  1973-04-06     Revised Date:  2010-09-13    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0266262     Medline TA:  J Physiol     Country:  ENGLAND    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  259-77     Citation Subset:  IM    
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Action Potentials / drug effects
Aminobutyric Acids / antagonists & inhibitors,  pharmacology*
Animals
Anura
Chlorides / pharmacology
Glutamates / pharmacology*
Glycine / pharmacology
Isoquinolines / pharmacology
Motor Neurons / drug effects
Nerve Endings / drug effects
Neural Inhibition / drug effects
Neurons, Afferent / drug effects
Picrotoxin / pharmacology
Rana pipiens
Sodium / physiology
Spinal Cord / drug effects*
Spinal Nerve Roots / drug effects
Synapses / drug effects
Synaptic Transmission / drug effects*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Aminobutyric Acids; 0/Chlorides; 0/Glutamates; 0/Isoquinolines; 124-87-8/Picrotoxin; 56-40-6/Glycine; 7440-23-5/Sodium
Comments/Corrections

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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