Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by KOECHLING, U. M.
Right arrow Articles by AMIT, Z.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by KOECHLING, U. M.
Right arrow Articles by AMIT, Z.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1991 Medical Council on Alcohol

research-article

EFFECTS OF GABA ANTAGONISTS AND HABITUATION TO NOVELTY ON ETHANOL-INDUCED LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY IN MICE

ULRIKE M. KOECHLING, BRIAN R. SMITH and ZALMAN AMIT*

Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd W , H-1013 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1M8

*Author for correspondence

Received 17 January 1991; accepted 21 April 1991

The effects of the {gamma}-aminobutyne acid (GABA) antagonists picrotoxin and bicuculline on ethanol-induced motor excitation were assessed on habituated and non-habituated mice. Habituated mice were exposed to the testing apparatus for 30 mm on 4 consecutive days before testing Mice were treated with several doses of ethanol (0.8. 1 2 and 1.6 g/kg, intraperitoneally) and at each dose were pretreated with picrotoxin (0 25. 0 5 and 1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) or bicuculline (0 5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg, i.p ). Habituated animals had consistently lower scores than non-habituated animals throughout the experiment Ethanol alone produced a significant increase in motor activity Picrotoxin and bicuculline alone decreased motor activity only at the two higher doses in both habituated and non-habituated mice For the non-habituated mice, picrotoxin and bicuculline at the lowest doses decreased ethanol induced motor activity at the 0.8 and 1.2 g/kg ethanol doses, whereas in habituated mice, only bicuculline attenuated activity. At the highest dose of ethanol picrotoxin increased ethanol-induced excitation for both nonhabituated and habituated animals, whereas bicuculline only augmented the activity of the nonhabituated animals at this ethanol dose. Neither antagonist affected blood-ethanol levels These results suggest that habituation affects not only motor activity per se but also changes in activity due to the combination of GABA antagonists and ethanol.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther.Home page
Y. A. Blednov, D. Walker, H. Alva, K. Creech, G. Findlay, and R. A. Harris
GABAA Receptor {alpha}1 and {beta}2 Subunit Null Mutant Mice: Behavioral Responses to Ethanol
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., June 1, 2003; 305(3): 854 - 863.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.