title: Effects of excitatory amino acid antagonists on evoked and spontaneous excitatory potentials in guinea-pig hippocampus.
abstract: Evoked and spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic potentials (e.p.s.p.s) at the mossy fibre input to CA3 pyramidal neurones were recorded intracellularly in slices from the guinea-pig hippocampus. The effects of several amino acid antagonists on these responses were examined. L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (L-AP4), L-serine-O-phosphate (L-SOP), kynurenate, and N-(p-bromobenzoyl)piperazine-2,3-dicarboxylate (pBB-PzDA) reduced the amplitude of evoked mossy fibre e.p.s.p.s without affecting membrane potential or input resistance. Antagonism of mossy fibre spontaneous miniature e.p.s.p.s (m.e.p.s.p.s) by these compounds fell into two groups. L-AP4 and L-SOP applied at concentrations that blocked evoked e.p.s.p.s did not affect amplitude distributions of spontaneous m.e.p.s.p.s. Kynurenate and pBB-PzDA significantly affected the amplitude distributions and reduced the mean amplitude of spontaneous m.e.p.s.p.s. These results are consistent with a presynaptic site of action for L-AP4 and L-SOP and a post-synaptic site of action for kynurenate and pBB-PzDA as antagonists of e.p.s.p.s at the guinea-pig mossy fibre-CA3 pyramidal neurone synapse.
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000818:Animals; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids