title: Convulsant properties of GABA antagonists and anticonvulsant properties of ethanol in selectively bred long- and short-sleep mice.
abstract: The convulsant potency of bicuculline, a GABA antagonist, was shown to be greater in Short-Sleep (SS) mice than in Long-Sleep (LS) mice. LS mice, selectively bred for lengthy ethanol-induced narcosis, had longer latencies to myoclonus and clonus following administration of bicuculline and picrotoxin than did ethanol-resistant SS mice. SS mice were also more susceptible to pentylenetetrazol-induced myoclonus, but not clonus. F1 hybrids showed bicuculline seizure sensitivity intermediate to the two parent lines. Ethanol weakly inhibited bicuculline-induced myoclonus in both LS and SS mice. Clonus was clearly antagonized by ethanol in both lines, but to a similar degree. These data provide evidence for a GABAergic role in genotype-dependent sensitivity to ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Albany.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Dudek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D001640:Bicuculline; D003292:Convulsants; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D051379:Mice; D010852:Picrotoxin; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D001640:Bicuculline; D003292:Convulsants; D000431:Ethanol; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D010852:Picrotoxin