title: Depolarizing actions of convulsant barbiturates on isolated rat dorsal root ganglion cells.
abstract: The actions of convulsant barbiturates were studied on dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells in vitro using intracellular recording techniques. Only the convulsant barbiturates (+)-DMBB and CHEB produced a concentration-dependent depression in the responses to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). All convulsant barbiturates were found to produce a direct depolarization of the DRG cell membrane which was accompanied by a decrease in the input resistance of the cell and a reduction in the orthodromic action potential. A sub-population of DRG cells were found to be refractory to these actions but there was no relationship between the cell type (A beta, A delta and C) and ability to respond to the convulsant barbiturates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Sydney, N.S.W., Australia.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001463:Barbiturates / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001463:Barbiturates; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid