Abstract
We have studied the changes in the GABAergic system in the rat somatosensory cortex 1–14 d after sensory deprivation of the hind-limb representation area. Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) activity was measured in the individual cortical layers using serial sections cut on a freezing microtome parallel to the cortical surface. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) high-affinity uptake was studied in cortical homogenates of the hind-limb representation area. There was a ≤13% decrease in GAD activity in layer II–IV in both cortical hemispheres 3 d after sciatic nerve injury. In contrast, we found that high-affinity uptake of GABA is not affected.
The data mirror only small changes in GABAergic transmission, probably as a result of the methods employed. These changes correspond to electrophysiological studies suggesting that peripheral manipulation of the somatosensory system, e.g., nerve transection, is accompanied by changes in GABAergic transmission.
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Dietmar Biesold died in 1991.
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Krohn, K., Rothe, T. & Biesold, D. High-affinity uptake of GABA and glutamate decarboxylase activity in rat primary somatosensory cortex after sciatic nerve injury. Molecular and Chemical Neuropathology 16, 159–169 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03159967
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03159967