In vivo studies of GABAergic effects in experimental hepatic encephalopathy
David Rzepczynski, Leslie Zieve, Sandra Lindblad, Darlene Lafontaine – 1 September 1986 – The GABAergic agonist, muscimol, and antagonists, picrotoxin and bicuculline, have been studied in rats with chronic portacaval shunts and in rats developing hepatic encephalopathy after massive ischemic necrosis due to hepatic artery ligation within 48 hr of a portacaval shunt. After the chronic portacaval shunt and to a lesser extent in normal rats intraventricular muscimol resulted in chewing and eating behavior, ataxia and loss of balance that lasted 2 to 3 hr.