Augmentation of N-methyl-D-aspartate induced depolarizations by GABA in neocortical and archicortical neurons.

The influence of the inhibitory transmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on depolarizations elicited by the excitatory amino acid N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) was tested in neurons of organotypic neocortical tissue cultures (newborn rat) and in CA3 neurons of the hippocampal slice (guinea pig). Drugs were applied through a 3-barrelled micropipette by pressure ejection. Applications of GABA before the ejection of NMDA increased the amplitude of the depolarizations induced by the excitatory amino acid. It is suggested that the enhancement of NMDA responses by GABA may be mainly mediated by an intracellular common pathway.