Intranigral muscimol suppresses ethanol withdrawal seizures.

Intranigral administration of muscimol produced a dose-related suppression of audiogenic motor convulsions which accompanied withdrawal from chronic ethanol administration. Similar administration of saline did not alter withdrawal seizures. These results are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that GABA-receptive neurons in the vicinity of the substantia nigra are important in the mediation of seizures induced by ethanol withdrawal.