The blockade of GABA mediated responses in the frog spinal cord by ammonium ions and furosemide.

1. A variety of compounds which are known to block chloride transport in a variety of systems have been examined for their effects on amino acid and synaptic responses in the frog spinal cord in vitro. 2. A number of monocarboxylic aromatic acids, copper sulphate, and acetazolamide had no effect on any of the responses. 3. Ammonium ions blocked the motoneurone hyperpolarizing responses to all the neutral amino acids. In addition it selectively blocked dorsal root potentials and the action of GABA and beta-alanine on primary afferents. 5. Intracellular recording from dorsal root ganglion cells demonstrated that furosemide had little effect on the reversal potential for the GABA response. These results suggest that furosemide acts primarily by blocking the conductance increase elicited by GABA. 6. The results with furosemide provide indirect evidence that chloride ions are involved in generating the GABA depolarizations of primary afferent terminals and dorsal root potentials.