Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Site Tools

  • AAAS
  • Subscribe
  • Feedback

Site Search

Search Advanced

Science 30 May 1980:
Vol. 208. no. 4447, pp. 1054 - 1056
DOI: 10.1126/science.7375918
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Science, Vol 208, Issue 4447, 1054-1056
Copyright © 1980 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Picrotoxin convulsions involve synaptic and nonsynaptic mechanisms on cultured mouse spinal neurons

JL Barker and JF MacDonald

The cellular mechanisms underlying picrotoxin-induced convulsive activity were studied by using mouse spinal neurons growing in tissue culture. Picrotoxin-induced convulsive activity in most but not all of the cells studied. The activity could be inverted by polarizing to positive potentials and eliminated either by decreasing the ratio of calcium to magnesium or by applying tetrodotoxin. When applied locally to individual cells, picrotoxin lowered spike threshold and induced spontaneous firing in some but not all cells tested. The results suggest that picrotoxin-induced convulsive activity involves rapidly summating synaptic activity which may be evoked by high-frequency repetitive firing.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Excitable Membrane Properties of Cultured Central Nervous System Neurons and Clonal Pituitary Cells.
J.L. Barker, B. Dufy, D.G. Owen, and M. Segal (1983)
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 48, 259-268
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)