title: Botulinum A neurotoxin inhibits non-cholinergic synaptic transmission in mouse spinal cord neurons in culture.
abstract: The effects of botulinum A neurotoxin and tetanus toxin were studied in cultured mouse spinal cord neurons. In approximately 60% of the neurons (n = 150), botulinum A neurotoxin caused paroxysmal depolarizing events. In two cells hyperpolarizing shifts were observed. The pattern of the burst-like activity varied in shape and frequency in individual cells. Between the paroxysmal events, ongoing synaptic activity could be recorded. The other 40% of the treated neurons did not develop a characteristic pattern of bursts, but there was a decrease in frequency of synaptically generated events. In contrast to botulinum A neurotoxin, tetanus toxin invariably produced well organized paroxysmal events without any synaptic activity between them. At later stages botulinum A neurotoxin and tetanus toxin blocked inhibitory and excitatory postsynaptic potentials in all neurons studied. These results have demonstrated, for the first time using electrophysiological techniques, that botulinum A neurotoxin blocks both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. There are however differences between these effects of botulinum A neurotoxin and the actions of tetanus toxin on these cells. It is suggested that at the femtomolar range tetanus toxin blocks selectively central inhibitory systems and botulinum A neurotoxin the motor endplate. At the picomolar range both toxins affect many if not all, transmitter systems.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D005333:Fetus; D051379:Mice; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D001905:Botulinum Toxins