Effect of intraperitoneally administered GABA on the locomotor activity of mice

Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1978 Sep 15;59(1):91-4. doi: 10.1007/BF00428037.

Abstract

Gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA) was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) into mice at doses from 25--2000 mg/kg, and spontaneous locomotor activity was recorded for the following 20 min. A slight but significant decrease in the spontaneous locomotor activity was noted only with the highest dose. The stimulation of motor activity induced by ethanol (2.4 g/kg i.p.) was significantly counteracted by GABA (100 mg/kg i.p. and upwards). A further suppression of ethanol-induced hyperactivity was reached by pretreatment with aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA, 15 mg/kg i.p.). The stimulation of motor activity induced by morphine (10 mg/kg i.p.) remained unaffected by even high doses of i.p. GABA. Motility produced by activation of postsynaptic catecholamine receptors, i.e., by apomorphine (3 mg/kg i.p.) and clonidine (3 mg/kg i.p.) following reserpine (10 mg/kg i.p.) and alpha-methyltyrosine (250 mg/kg i.p.) pretreatment, was not affected by i.p. GABA injections, whereas hypomotility caused by a low dose of haloperidol (150 microgram/kg i.p.) was enhanced. In conjunction with earlier biochemical data, these results suggest a certain access of blood-borne GABA to the CNS, leading to inhibition of dopaminergic neurons involved in motility regulation.

MeSH terms

  • Aminooxyacetic Acid / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Depression, Chemical
  • Drug Interactions
  • Ethanol / pharmacology
  • Female
  • Injections, Intraperitoneal
  • Mice
  • Motor Activity / drug effects*
  • Receptors, Cholinergic / drug effects
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / administration & dosage
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Receptors, Cholinergic
  • Aminooxyacetic Acid
  • Ethanol
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid