Article date: November 1982
By: J.R. NORMANTON, D.C. WEST, J.H. WOLSTENCROFT in Volume 77, Issue 3, pages 477-485
The effects of microiontophoretically applied methionyl‐tyrosyl‐lysine (Met‐Tyr‐Lys) were studied on single neurones in several brain regions of rats anaesthetized with urethane.
Met‐Tyr‐Lys inhibited 13.5%–25% of neurones in the spinal cord, cerebellar cortex, thalamus and hippocampal formation. No significant inhibitory effects were seen in the cerebral cortex.
Additionally, Met‐Tyr‐Lys excited some cells in the Purkinje cell body layer of the cerebellar cortex (11 %) and in the pyramidal cell body layer of the hippocampus and granule cell body layer of the dentate gyrus within the hippocampal formation (17.5%).
Both excitatory and inhibitory effects of Met‐Tyr‐Lys were dose‐dependent, of similar rapid time course and were observed both on spontaneously active cells and cells induced to fire by continuous iontophoretic application of dl‐homocysteic acid.
The possibility that Met‐Tyr‐Lys might be a novel inhibitory neurotransmitter in both spinal and supraspinal regions of the mammalian CNS is discussed.
The effects of microiontophoretically applied methionyl‐tyrosyl‐lysine (Met‐Tyr‐Lys) were studied on single neurones in several brain regions of rats anaesthetized with urethane.
Met‐Tyr‐Lys inhibited 13.5%–25% of neurones in the spinal cord, cerebellar cortex, thalamus and hippocampal formation. No significant inhibitory effects were seen in the cerebral cortex.
Additionally, Met‐Tyr‐Lys excited some cells in the Purkinje cell body layer of the cerebellar cortex (11 %) and in the pyramidal cell body layer of the hippocampus and granule cell body layer of the dentate gyrus within the hippocampal formation (17.5%).
Both excitatory and inhibitory effects of Met‐Tyr‐Lys were dose‐dependent, of similar rapid time course and were observed both on spontaneously active cells and cells induced to fire by continuous iontophoretic application of dl‐homocysteic acid.
The possibility that Met‐Tyr‐Lys might be a novel inhibitory neurotransmitter in both spinal and supraspinal regions of the mammalian CNS is discussed.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1982.tb09321.x
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