title: Brain GABA metabolism after chronic ethanol consumption and withdrawal in rats.
abstract: We have studied the activities of the GABA metabolizing enzymes-GABA aminotransferase (GABA-AT), succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSA-DH) and SSA reductase (SSA-R) and the levels of GABA, glutamine and glutamate in rats preferring water (WP) or ethanol (EP) after 6 months of ethanol consumption and 12 hours to 7 days after withdrawal. We showed decreased GABA levels in the brain stem, decreased GABA-AT activity in the hemispheres and brain stem, and enhanced GABA-AT activity in the striatum of EP rats compared with the control or WP animals following chronic consumption of ethanol. We found decreased activity of SSA-R and SSA-DH in the hemispheres and brain stems of alcohol-treated rats compared to the control rats. Withdrawal (0.5-7 days) induced numerous profound changes in GABA metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus', Grodno, BelarusMedical Institute, Grodno, Belarus.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Kanunnikova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus', Grodno, BelarusMedical Institute, Grodno, Belarus.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Vinitskaya
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus', Grodno, BelarusMedical Institute, Grodno, Belarus.
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Doroshenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Belarus', Grodno, BelarusMedical Institute, Grodno, Belarus.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zimatkin