Abstract
The relevance of μ-opioid systems for central excitability and kindling related disturbed learning performance was underlined by investigations using μ-opioid receptor knockout mice. Mice lacking μ-opioid receptors showed an accelerated kindling development induced by the convulsant drug pentylenetetrazol. Blockade of δ-opioid receptors by naltrindole suppressing kindling development in wild-type animals led to a further acceleration of kindled seizure development in the knockout mice. Mice lacking μ-opioid receptors showed such a low learning performance in the shuttle box, that the kindling induced learning deficit as seen in wild-type mice was not detected. The results were discussed on the basis of receptor binding studies with regard to subtypes of glutamatergic receptors, δ-opioid and somatostatin receptors. An increase in glutamate and so-matostatin binding could contribute to the enhanced excitability in the-μ-opioid receptor knockout mice.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 287-293 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology |
Volume | 369 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2004 |
Keywords
- Chemical kindling
- Receptor binding
- Shuttle box learning
- Transgenic mice
- μ-Opioid receptor