Abstract
Significant neurochemical, immunocytochemical, and ligand binding studies support a role for GABA as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the inferior colliculus (IC). The present study attempted to satisfy some of the remaining criteria for establishing transmitter identity by utilizing iontophoretic application onto IC neurons of agents affecting the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The agents examined include GABA, a GABAB agonist (baclofen), a GABAA antagonist (bicuculline), a GABA uptake inhibitor (nipecotic acid), and a benzodiazepine (flurazepam), thought to exert its actions on the GABA receptor complex. Application of GABA results in inhibition of the spontaneous firing and acoustically evoked responses of inferior colliculus neurons. The inhibitory effect of GABA is enhanced by the simultaneous application of nipecotic acid or flurazepam. These agents as well as baclofen produce firing reductions when applied alone in higher doses. The effect of GABA can be blocked by application of bicuculline, and acoustically evoked (binaural) inhibition can also be selectively blocked by low doses of this GABAA antagonist. These data along with previous studies utilizing different techniques fulfill many of the criteria for establishment of GABA as an important inhibitory transmitter in the inferior colliculus.
Keywords
Nipecotic acidBicucullineGABAA receptorInhibitory postsynaptic potentialNeuroscienceFlurazepamInferior colliculusMuscimolGABAB receptorBaclofenGABA receptor antagonistChemistryGABA receptorPharmacologyGABAergicgamma-Aminobutyric acidNeurotransmitterAgonistBiologyBenzodiazepineReceptorCentral nervous systemBiochemistry
MeSH Terms
Acoustic StimulationAction PotentialsAnimalsAuditory PathwaysBicucullineInferior ColliculiNeural InhibitionRatsRatsInbred StrainsStrychninegamma-Aminobutyric Acid
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
An exploratory descriptive study of the illness attitude and knowledge of breast cancer screening among African American women: young and elderly
In the catfish retina, horizontal cells that receive inputs exclusively from red-sensitive cones are the only neurons that accumulate exogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid under our...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1989
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 500
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 302-312
- Citations
- 183
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
183
OpenAlex
6
Influential
150
CrossRef
Cite This
Carl L. Faingold,
Greta Gehlbach,
Donald M. Caspary
(1989).
On the role of GABA as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in inferior colliculus neurons: iontophoretic studies.
Brain Research
, 500
(1-2)
, 302-312.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(89)90326-0
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1016/0006-8993(89)90326-0
- PMID
- 2605499