Antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalopathies comprise a group of severe conditions with a varying degree of motor and cognitive symptoms that respond to immunotherapies. The associated antibodies are directed against intracellular targets, such as the classic paraneoplastic autoantigens Hu, Yo, Ri, CV2, Ma2/Ta, or the enzyme GAD, or against cell surface antigens such as receptors and ion chann...

The actions of the anticonvulsant gabapentin [1-(aminomethyl)cyclohexaneacetic acid, Neurontin] have been somewhat enigmatic until recently, when it was claimed to be a -aminobutyric acid-B (GABAB) receptor agonist acting exclusively at a heterodimeric complex containing the GABAB(1a) splice variant (Mol Pharmacol 2001;59:144–152). In this study, we have investigated the effects of gabapentin o...

1508-1517, 1998. Whole cell recordings (nystatin-perforated patch) were carried out on magnocellular neurons of the rat supraoptic nucleus (SON) to study the modulation of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) by gamma-aminobutyric acid-B (GABAB) receptors. Field stimulation adjacent to the SON in the presence of kynurenic acid, evoked monosynaptic GABAergic IPSCs. Baclofen reversibly reduce...

Ionotropic receptors are tightly regulated by second messenger systems and are often present along with their metabotropic counterparts on a neuron's plasma membrane. This leads to the hypothesis that the two receptor subtypes can interact, and indeed this has been observed in excitatory glutamate and inhibitory GABA receptors. In both systems the metabotropic pathway augments the ionotropic re...

Mechanisms of presynaptic inhibition were examined in giant presynaptic terminals of retinal bipolar neurons, which receive GABAergic feedback synapses from amacrine cells. Two distinct inhibitory actions of GABA are present in the terminals: a GABAA-like Cl conductance and a GABAB-like inhibition of voltage-dependent Ca current. Both of the receptors underlying these actions have unusual pharm...

The role of GABAB receptors in various behavioral processes has been largely defined using the prototypical GABAB receptor agonist baclofen. However, baclofen induces sedation, hypothermia and muscle relaxation, which may interfere with its use in behavioral paradigms. Although there is much evidence for a role of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the pathophysiology of anxiety, the role ...

The nocioceptive information carried by neurons of the pontine parabrachial nucleus to neurons of the lateral division of the central amydala (CeA-L) is thought to contribute to the affective components of pain and is required for the formation of conditioned-fear memories. Importantly, excitatory transmission between parabrachial axon terminals and CeA-L neurons can be inhibited by a number of...

BACKGROUND Several of the behavioral effects of amphetamine (AMPH) are mediated by an increase in dopamine neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens. However, evidence shows that γ-aminobutyric acid B (GABAB) receptors are involved in the behavioral effects of psychostimulants, including AMPH. Here, we examined the effects of co-administration of the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen and a posit...

FAST and SLOW selected mouse lines were bred for differences in locomotor response to low-dose ethanol. FAST mice exhibit an extreme stimulant response and SLOW mice exhibit locomotor depression at the same ethanol dose. We tested the hypothesis that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) systems modulate ethanol's stimulant effects by examining convulsant responses to GABAA receptor ligands, and by as...

Depolarization-induced 86Rb efflux, an index of K+ efflux, was developed by using mammalian cultured spinal cord neurons to study the effect of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABAB) receptor activation on Ca2(+)-activated K(+)-channels. The Ca2(+)-activated 86Rb efflux was obtained by using two methods. The first method utilized depolarizing concentrations of KCl (100 mM) to study the voltage-gated C...