The GABA/benzodiazepine receptor-chloride ionophore complex: nature and modulation.

1. A high affinity, saturable, stereospecific binding site for Benzodiazepines has been found to be functionally and possibly structurally related to a GABA receptor-chloride ionophore complex. 2.

Analysis of facial displays and verbal report to assess subjective state in the non-invasive detection of limbic system activation by procaine hydrochloride.

The problem of scalp EEG as a measure of cortical or subcortical activity is particularly relevant to complex partial seizures as the abnormal discharging is frequently limbic in origin [14, 30]. Livingston [38] has suggested that administration of intravenous procaine as a limbic activator and cortical suppressor would be of utility in diagnosing limbic involvement in complex partial seizures. While there is considerable evidence derived from experimental animal models that procaine hydrochloride is a limbic system activator that acts preferentially on subcortical epileptic foci at lower doses than on less active epileptic foci or non-epileptic tissue [2, 4], it was necessary to demonstrate that procaine activates the human limbic system.

Power spectral analysis of EEG drug response in the kindled rat brain.

The specificity of procaine as a limbic epileptic focus activator was investigated in rats kindled in the amygdala. Power spectral analysis of spontaneous EEG was employed to assess the effects of two doses of procaine HCl (60 and 100 mg/kg) on the kindled and unkindled amygdala. Analysis revealed a dose-dependent increase in power in the 1--15 c/sec frequency band of the EEG.