The world's first wiki where authorship really matters (Nature Genetics, 2008). Due credit and reputation for authors. Imagine a global collaborative knowledge base for original thoughts. Search thousands of articles and collaborate with scientists around the globe.

wikigene or wiki gene protein drug chemical gene disease author authorship tracking collaborative publishing evolutionary knowledge reputation system wiki2.0 global collaboration genes proteins drugs chemicals diseases compound
Hoffmann, R. A wiki for the life sciences where authorship matters. Nature Genetics (2008)
 
 
 
 
 

On the neurotoxicity of chlordecone: a role for gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin.

Rats receiving the chlorinated insecticide, chlordecone (80 mg/kg i.p.), exhibit hyperexcitability, exaggerated startle response and tremors within a few hours after the injection. Since the chlordecone-elicited tremors are relieved by injections of muscarinic receptor blockers, acetylcholine has been implicated indirectly in the mechanism of chlordecone toxicity. Our studies on acetylcholine steady-state levels and turnover in several brain structures failed to detect evidence for an involvement of cholinergic presynaptic mechanisms in the chlordecone toxicity. We then investigated whether GABA is involved by measuring the rate of its accumulation following intraventricular injection of gabaculine. Chlordecone reduced the rate of GABA accumulation in striatum, but not in cerebellum, brainstem or hippocampus. Such inhibition appeared 4 h after drug injection thereby preceding the onset of tremors. Since tremors elicited by chlordecone are attenuated by the administration of serotonin receptor blockers and since chlordecone increases serotonin (5-HT) turnover, we studied whether 5-HT recognition sites are modified following chlordecone administration. We have found a reduction of the Bmax of 5-HT1 receptors in striatum and hippocampus without any modification in the kinetic characteristics of 5-HT2 receptors. We have also shown that the temporal relationship between down regulation of 5-HT1 recognition sites, reduction of striatal GABA turnover and tremors caused by chlordecone allows one to consider these 3 phenomena as reciprocally dependent. In conclusion our results favor the possibility that tremors may result from a decrease in the striatal GABergic tone which probably is elicited by an increase of serotonergic activity caused by chlordecone by a yet unknown mechanism.[1]

References

  1. On the neurotoxicity of chlordecone: a role for gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin. Gandolfi, O., Cheney, D.L., Hong, J.S., Costa, E. Brain Res. (1984) [Pubmed]
 
WikiGenes - Universities