Background: Neurotransmitter release is an essential link in cell communication of the nervous system. Many investigations have focused on gamma amino butyric acid (GABA)-ergic neurotransmission, because it has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several central nervous system disorders. To bypass complications related to homo- and heterosynaptic modulation and to avoid indirect interpret...

The effects of cholecystokinin receptor antagonist, dipentyl-3,4-dichloroproglumide (DDP), on stimulated pancreatic and gastric secretion were studied in the rat. DDP dose-dependently inhibited cholecystokinin-stimulated amylase release from dispersed acinar cells. In vivo, DDP inhibited cholecystokinin octapeptide-stimulated amylase and protein secretion. DDP also inhibited pentagastrin-stimul...

In the healthy brain, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is regulated by neurons and glia. This begs the question: what happens in the malfunctioning brain? There are many reasons why diseases occur, including genetic mutations, systemic problems, and environmental influences. There are also many ways in which GABA can become dysregulated, such as through alterations in its synthesis or release, an...

In order to determine whether disturbances in GABA homeostasis might play a role in the pathogenesis of sepsis-related encephalopathy, serum and brain tissue GABA concentrations from six areas of the brain (cortex, diencephalon, striatum, hippocampus, midbrain, and pons-medulla) were determined in a rat model of bacterial sepsis (cecal ligation and perforation). The results were compared to tho...

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid, which functions as neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. GABA has been shown to have several positive effects on human health, including reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation. In this study, various fermented fish products were screened for their ability produce GABA. A total of 35 lactic producing strains isolated ...

A successful unified pharmacophore/receptor model which has guided the synthesis of subtype selective compounds is reviewed in light of recent developments both in ligand synthesis and structural studies of the binding site itself. The evaluation of experimental data in combination with a comparative model of the alpha1beta2gamma2 GABA(A) receptor leads to an orientation of the pharmacophore mo...

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and benzodiazepine receptors have been solubilized and purified by procedures such as gel filtration, ion-exchange, lectin, and affinity chromatographies. All of these procedures enhance the specific activity of each receptor to a similar extent. The drug specificities of [3H]muscimol and [3H]flunitrazepam binding sites are the same after extensive purification by...

Gamma aminobutyric acid and glycine receptors in the nucleus ambiguus mediate 1 tachycardia elicited by chemical stimulation of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus 2 3 Vineet C. Chitravanshi, Kazumi Kawabe and Hreday N. Sapru 4 5 Department of Neurological Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange 6 Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103, USA 7 8 9 10 Short title: Arcuate nucleus: heart rate ...