Neurological Sciences

, Volume 34, Issue 4, pp 537–538 | Cite as

Relationship between thresholds to convulsions induced by a benzodiazepine inverse agonist and [3H]-l-glutamate binding in the membranes of brain regions

  • Marcos Brandão Contó
  • José Gilberto Barbosa de Carvalho
  • Marco Antonio Campana Venditti
Brief Communication
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Although some studies have investigated the influence of kindling model of epilepsy on the glutamatergic neurotransmission, the relation between glutamatergic receptors and seizure susceptibility remains unclear. The present study sought to determine if rats with high (HTR) and low (LTR) thresholds to clonic convulsions induced by the benzodiazepine inverse agonist DMCM differed in the [3H]-l-glutamate binding to membranes from discrete brain regions. Compared to the HTR subgroup, the LTR subgroup presented a lower binding of [3H]-l-glutamate in the hippocampus, frontal cortex and amygdala plus limbic cortex, suggesting that glutamatergic receptors in these brain regions may underlie the susceptibility to DMCM-induced convulsions.

Keywords

Convulsion Seizure [3H]-l-glutamate Binding Benzodiazepine inverse agonist DMCM 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (AFIP). M.B. Contó was the recipient of a fellowship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes).

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  • Marcos Brandão Contó
    • 1
  • José Gilberto Barbosa de Carvalho
    • 1
  • Marco Antonio Campana Venditti
    • 1
  1. 1.Departamento de PsicobiologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM)São PauloBrazil

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