Blocking of the axon spikes by Pentylenetetrazol in an identified neuron of the snail Helix lucorum, with consequent induction of epileptic activity in the cell body of the same neuron

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 1999-06, Vol.268 (2), p.69-72
• Main Authors: Maratou, E., Theophilidis, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action Potentials - drug effects; Animals; Axon; Axon spike; Axons - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Block; buccal ganglion; Cell body; Convulsants - pharmacology; Epilepsy - chemically induced; Epileptic activity; Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy; Helix (Snails) - drug effects; Helix (Snails) - physiology; Helix lucorum; Medical sciences; Nerve Block - methods; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Neurons - drug effects; Pentylenetetrazol; Pentylenetetrazole - pharmacology; salivary nerve; Snail neurons
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00382-1

In an isolated preparation which consists of the buccal ganglia and the salivary nerve of Helix lucorum, neuron B2 can be identified by simultaneously recording the soma spike intracellularly and the axon spike extracellularly from the peripheral salivary nerve. The convulsant drug pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) eliminates the axon spike of the neuron within 1–5 min after its application while epileptic activity is induced in the soma of the same neuron for hours. It is interesting that almost all nerve activity in the peripheral nerve is blocked by PTZ.