title: Inhibition of neurons in the rat medial amygdaloid nucleus in vitro by somatostatin.
abstract: Effects of somatostatin (SRIF) on neurons in the medial amygdaloid nucleus were investigated in rat brain slice preparations, using extracellular recordings. Following bath application of SRIF at 10(-7) - 10(-6) M, 63 of 81 (78%) medial amygdala neurons showed an inhibitory response. The inhibitory effect of SRIF was dose dependent, and the threshold concentration was approximately 10(-9) M. The inhibitory response to SRIF persisted during synaptic blockade in two-thirds of neurons tested. The inhibitory effect of SRIF was reduced by picrotoxin, a GABAA receptor antagonist, in one-third of neurons. These results suggest that SRIF exerts an inhibitory effect on medial amygdala neurons through either a direct action on SRIF receptors or a GABAergic synaptic involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hori
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008274:Magnesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium; D008274:Magnesium; D010852:Picrotoxin; D013004:Somatostatin