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Inhibitory action of noradrenaline and cyclic AMP in explants of rat cerebellum

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Abstract

IZNTOPHORETICALLY applied noradrenaline (NA) produces sustained depression of spontaneous firing of rat cerebellar Purkinje cells1–3 and this inhibition may be mediated by cyclic AMP4–5. This contention has been challenged by Godfraind and Pumain6 as well as by Lake and Jordan3 who failed to observe a depressant action of cyclic AMP. Because the results may be influenced by electrical current or pH artefacts, the kind of anaesthetics used or factors impeding the release of cyclic AMP from micropipettes7 we have used cultured Purkinje cells from rat cerebellum8–10 to test the hypothesis that cyclic AMP mediates the depressant action of NA on Purkinje cells. We found that high concentrations of cyclic AMP only slightly decreased the firing rate of Purkinje cells, but that low concentrations of inhibitors of phosphodiesterase strongly enhanced the inhibition induced by cyclic AMP and NA.

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  1. Biological and Medical Research Division, Sandoz Ltd, CH–4002, Basle, Switzerland

    B. H. GÄHWILER

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  1. B. H. GÄHWILER
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GÄHWILER, B. Inhibitory action of noradrenaline and cyclic AMP in explants of rat cerebellum. Nature 259, 483–484 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259483a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/259483a0

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