Affiliation:
1. Departamento de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (U.N.A.M.), Mexico
2. Apdo. Postal 70-253, México, D.F. 04510, USA
Abstract
In electrophysiological terms, experimental models of durable information storage in the brain include long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression, and kindling. Protein synthesis correlates with these enduring processes. We propose a fourth example of long-lasting information storage in the brain, which we call the GABA-withdrawal syndrome (GWS). In rats, withdrawal of a chronic intracortical infusion of GABA, a ubiquitous inhibitory neurotransmitter, induced epileptogenesis at the infusion site. This overt GWS lasted for days. Anisomycin, a protein synthesis inhibitor, prevented the appearance of GWSin vivo. Hippocampal and neocortical slices showed a similar post-GABA hyperexcitabilityin vitroand an enhanced susceptibility to LTP induction. One to four months after the epileptic behavior disappeared, systemic administration of a subconvulsant dose of pentylenetetrazol produced the reappearance of paroxysmal activity. The long-lasting effects of tonicGABAAreceptor stimulation may be involved in long-term information storage processes at the cortical level, whereas the cessation ofGABAAreceptor stimulation may be involved in chronic pathological conditions, such as epilepsy. Furthermore, we propose that GWS may represent a common key factor in the addiction to GABAergic agents (for example, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and ethanol). GWS represents a novel form of neurono-glial plasticity. The mechanisms of this phenomenon remain to be understood.
Funder
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
Subject
Neurology (clinical),Neurology
Cited by
31 articles.
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