Summary
The effect of a spider toxin (JSTX-3)—a specific blocker of glutamate receptors—on the behavior of mice was studied using an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection technique. At higher doses (more than 12 nmol/brain), JSTX-3 increased motor activities and induced characteristic symptoms. JSTX-3 at a dose of 4.7 nmol/brain which per se did not produce any abnormal behavior, specifically antagonized quisqualate-induced convulsions but not NMDA- or kainate-induced confulsions. These results indicate that JSTX-3 is a selective antagonist of the quisqualate receptors in the mammalian central nervous system.
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Himi, T., Saito, H., Kawai, N. et al. Spider toxin (JSTX-3) inhibits the convulsions induced by glutamate agonists. J. Neural Transmission 80, 95–104 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01257076
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01257076