[Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid and bicuculline on the spontaneous discharge of the nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis neurons in brainstem slices in rat].
The effects of iontophoretic application of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its antagonist, bicuculline (BIC) on the spontaneous discharge of paragigantocellularis lateralis (PGCL) neurons and the influence of BIC on the effects of GABA were studied in brainstem slice in rat with multibarrel microelectrode techniques. Both GABA and BIC showed three types of effects, i.e., excitatory, inhibitory and unaffected; the percentage of each is 56.10%, 31.70%, 12.20% (for GABA) and 66.67%, 5.88%, 27.45% (for BIC) of the tested neurons, respectively. The inhibitory effect of GABA and excitatory effect of BIC are dose-dependent. In most of the neurons tested the response to GABA could be blocked by BIC. The results at cellular level suggest that there is endogenous GABA in PGCL and that there exists GABAA receptors on some of the PGCL neurons.
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D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D007478:Iontophoresis; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D001640:Bicuculline