Amytal resistance in animals adapted to cold, and some features peculiar to the mechanism of its narcotic action

Summary

As demonstrated, amytal resistance of respiration in the cold-adapted albino mice, in which respiration and phosphorylation disturbances were noted formerly, was much higher than in the control animals. This fact confirms the uncoupling of respiration and phosphorylation following cold adaptation and permits the use of amytal for control of this phenomenon when the uncoupling mechanism is connected with the increased amytal resistance. It was also shown that amytal resistance of respiration in the cold-adapted animals correlates with their increased resistance to the narcotic action of amytal. This result confirms the data of other authors on the connection between the hypnotic effect of barbiturates and their ability to inhibit the respiration, but is against the Mc Ilwain interpretation of their hypnotic effect mechanism. Since, of the given model, a high respiration level is maintained at the expense of nonphosphorylation reactions, it is supposed that in definite physiological conditions there may exist a more direct relationships between the respiration level and the functional cerebral activity.