The effect of bicuculline on behavior and on the neuronal activity of the caudate nucleus and of the thalamic VA-VL nuclei in the cat brain]

In chronic cat experiments, bicucullin-induced GABA receptor blockade in the dorsal and ventral parts of the rostral caudate nucleus resulted in complicated changes in spontaneous activity of 19 of 55 neurons, primarily in the cells with low spike frequency. Changes were observed also in 8 to 31 neurons of VA-VL nuclei of the thalamus. The blockade of striatal GABA receptors was accompanied by changes in motor behavior and emotional motivational state of the animals. The character and latency of unit activity rearrangements in the caudate nucleus and modifications of cat's behavior depended on the localization of bicucullin injection point within different parts of the caudate nucleus.