Different Actions of Anticonvulsant and Anesthetic Barbiturates Revealed by Use of Cultured Mammalian Neurons
- 19 May 1978
- journal article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 200 (4343) , 775-777
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.205953
Abstract
Barbiturate anesthetics, but not anticonvulsants, abolish the spontaneous activity of cultured spinal cord neurons; directly increase membrane conductance, an effect which is suppressed by the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonists picrotoxin and penicillin; and are more potent than anticonvulsants in augmenting GABA and depressing glutamate responses. Barbiturate anticonvulsants abolish picrotoxin-induced convulsive activity. These results indicate qualitative and quantitative differences between anesthetic and anticonvulsant barbiturates, which may explain their different clinical effects.Keywords
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