Vertebrate GABA receptors

Physiologic-pharmacologic studies in vivo and with tissue cultures have revealed that synaptic GABA receptors exist in the vertebrate CNS. The GABA antagonist, bicuculline, can be used to detect synaptic GABA receptors in both the presence and absence of Na⁺, even though GABA binding to cerebral subcellular fractions occurs mainly to transport (uptake) receptors in the presence of Na⁺.