Abstract
SEVERAL convulsant drugs have been shown to act by impairing specific inhibitory processes in the brain, and there is a clear-cut contrast between crustacean and mammal in this respect. In the crayfish, picrotoxin produces convulsions and it blocks several inhibitory mechanisms as well as the inhibitory action which Florey's Factor I exerts on these synapses1–3. Strychnine does not cause convulsions in the crayfish nor does it interfere with these inhibitory processes1,2. In the cat both drugs act as convulsants; but only strychnine antagonizes the inhibitory post-synaptic potentials of spinal motoneurones4,5 and the centrifugal inhibition mediated by the Rasmussen's olivocochlear fibres, both crossed6 and uncrossed7. The mode of action of picrotoxin in the mammalian brain is less clear and it may involve an activation of excitatory synapses8. The pharmacological approach just sketched clearly provides useful tools for the investigation of neural inhibition and of convulsive states, and it seemed worth extending it to the bird, using as a physiological test the inhibition produced by the efferent cochlear bundle9, which can be successfully stimulated as follows10.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Elliott, K. A. C., and Florey, E., J. Neurochem., 1, 181 (1956).
Florey, E., Naturwiss., 44, 424 (1957); in Inhibition in the Nervous system and Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, 72 (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1960).
Robbins, J., and Van Der Kloot, W. G., J. Physiol., 143, 541 (1958).
Coombs, J. S., Eccles, J. C., and Fatt, P., J. Physiol., 130, 326 (1955).
Curtis, D. R., J. Physiol., 145, 175 (1959).
Desmedt, J. E., and Monaco, P., Nature, 192, 1263 (1961). Proc. First Intern. Pharmacol. Meeting, 8, 183 (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1962).
Desmedt, J. E., and LaGrutta, V., Nature, 200, 472 (1963).
Grundfest, H., Fed. Proc., 17, 1006 (1958).
Boord, R. L., Exp. Neurol., 3, 225 (1961).
Desmedt, J. E., and Delwaide, P., J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., 35, 809 (1963).
Heise, G. A., and Rosenblith, W. A., J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol., 45, 401 (1952).
Desmedt, J. E., J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., 34, 1478 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DESMEDT, J., DELWAIDE, P. Neural Inhibition in a Bird : Effect of Strychnine and Picrotoxin. Nature 200, 583–585 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/200583a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/200583a0
This article is cited by
-
Die latenzzeit des summenaktionspotentials (SAP) der Cochlea, ihre exakte messung und die wirkung von Strychnin auf die L�nge der Latenzzeit
Archiv f�r klinische und experimentelle Ohren- Nasen- und Kehlkopfheilkunde (1969)
-
Postsynaptische, auditorische, gekreuzte, efferente hemmung im nucleus cochlearis ventralis und ihre Blockade durch Strychninnitrat (Meerschweinchen)
Archiv f�r klinische und experimentelle Ohren- Nasen- und Kehlkopfheilkunde (1968)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.