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Anticonvulsant effects of some inhibitory neurotransmitter amino acids

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Abstract

The anticonvulsive effects of GABA, taurine, and glycine were investigated on several chemically-induced and genetic seizure models. Intravenous injections of either GABA, taurine, or glycine provided protection against 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-induced convulsions in adult Swiss mice. GABA was partially effective against isonicotinic acid hydrazide and was without effect against bicuculline-induced convulsions bProlonged administration of glycine prevented MPA-induced convulsions but not electrically induced seizures or seizures induced by strychnine or metrazol.

Intragastric glycine protected young audiogenic seizure-susceptible DBA/2 mice against all three phases of sound-induced convulsions (wild running, clonic and tonic seizure), but GABA and taurine provided little or no protection. With increase of glycine, the cerebral levels of glutamine and serine also increased, but that of glutamic acid decreased. The endogenous glutamic and glycine levels were slightly higher in the brains of the audiogenic seizure-susceptible DBA/2 mice than in that of the resistant BALB/Cy strain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Neurochemistry, Rockland Research Institute, 10035, Ward's Island, New York

    Eugene Toth, Abel Lajtha, Shakir Sarhan & Nikolaus Seiler

  2. Centre de Recherche Merell International, 16, rue d'Ankara, 67084, Strasbourg Cedex, France

    Eugene Toth, Abel Lajtha, Shakir Sarhan & Nikolaus Seiler

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  1. Eugene Toth
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  3. Shakir Sarhan
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Toth, E., Lajtha, A., Sarhan, S. et al. Anticonvulsant effects of some inhibitory neurotransmitter amino acids. Neurochem Res 8, 291–302 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00965719

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