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Bicuculline induces ictal seizures in the intact hippocampus recorded in vitro

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Abstract

The effects of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor antagonist bicuculline on rat hippocampal neurons recorded in slices and in the intact hippocampi kept in vitro were studied using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Bicuculline (10 μM) evoked ictal discharges in the intact hippocampus but only interictal discharges in conventional slices. Recording from the intact hippocampus in vitro is an alternative preparation to study the organization of the hippocampal neuronal network.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. C. Bernard for the fruitful ideas and comments on the manuscript.

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