Deutsch S I, Park C H, Lukacs L G, Morn C, Koetzner L, Mastropaolo J
Psychiatry Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422, USA.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1995 Aug;51(4):909-15. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(95)00076-9.
MK-801 is an uncompetitive allosteric antagonist that interferes with glutamate-gated calcium ion conductance through the NMDA receptor-associated ionophore. In an outbred strain of mouse, MK-801 elicits episodes of explosive "popping" behaviors that may serve as a preclinical screening paradigm for novel antipsychotic medications. This investigation examined the effects of MK-801, at doses associated with the elicitation of popping, on the GABAA receptor complex in cerebral cortex, and flurazepam's ability to antagonize electrically precipitated seizures. Twenty four hours after MK-801 administration, there was an increased density of the radiolabeled antagonist-preferring conformation of the central benzodiazepine binding site and a potentiation of flurazepam's antiseizure efficacy. The data show that interference with NMDA receptor-mediated calcium ion conductance is associated with a relatively selective change in the GABAA receptor complex in cerebral cortex, and has functional behavioral consequences. Moreover, the data provide additional evidence for a delicate balance between GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission. Disturbance of this balance can have behavioral consequences for the animal.
