Complex effects of aqueous extract of Melampyrum pratense and of its flavonoids on activity of primary cultured hippocampal neurons.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The aqueous extract of the plant Malmpyrum pratense (Mp), is widely used in traditional medicine as a sedative, yet the biological basis of its action is not known.

Aim Of The Study: The effects of Mp on network activity and intrinsic and synaptic properties were studied in cultured hippocampal neurons in an attempt to analyze its mode of action.

Materials And Methods: Dissociated cultures of rat hippocampal neurons were used.

Chronic exposure to alcohol alters network activity and morphology of cultured hippocampal neurons.

The effects of chronic exposure to moderate concentrations of ethanol were studied in cultured hippocampal neurons. Network activity, assessed by imaging of [Ca(2+)]i variations, was markedly suppressed following 5 days of exposure to 0.25-1% ethanol.

Ethanol affects network activity in cultured rat hippocampus: mediation by potassium channels.

The effects of ethanol on neuronal network activity were studied in dissociated cultures of rat hippocampus. Exposure to low (0.25-0.