Abstract
THE clinical actions of benzodiazepines—relief of anxiety, suppression of convulsions, and relaxation of skeletal muscle—suggest that they enhance inhibition in the central nervous system (CNS) but their mechanism of action is unknown. Indirect evidence1,2 indicates that benzodiazepines augment the action of γ aminobutyric acid (GABA), a putative inhibitory transmitter. For example, diazepam increases presynaptic inhibition in the spinal cord3,4, a type of inhibition that may reflect GABA action on primary afferent terminals5.
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CHOI, D., FARB, D. & FISCHBACH, G. Chlordiazepoxide selectively augments GABA action in spinal cord cell cultures. Nature 269, 342–344 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/269342a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/269342a0
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