Postsynaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors in hepatic coma following portacaval shunt and hepatic artery ligation in the rat.

The specific binding of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) to synaptic membranes prepared from the brains of rats with acute liver failure due to portacaval shunt and hepatic artery ligation was measured. No changes in the affinity or the density of the low- and high-affinity binding sites of the GABA receptor were observed, indicating that this model of acute hepatic encephalopathy is apparently not associated with altered GABAergic neurotransmission.