GABA and behavioral inhibition in the neonatal rat pup.
The effects of the GABA agonist muscimol and GABA antagonist picrotoxin were examined in 3-4-day-old deprived rat pups under conditions of low (absence of milk) and high (milk presence) activity baselines. A low dose of muscimol was observed to have activating effects under low baseline conditions, whereas higher doses of muscimol were observed to depress milk-induced activity and mouthing. Picrotoxin treatment was observed to increase activation of these neonates under both baseline conditions. Taken together, these results provide evidence for a functional GABAergic inhibition of behavior in the neonate.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D009118:Muscimol / Q000494:pharmacology; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology*
D009118:Muscimol; D010852:Picrotoxin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid