Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0026838 (spasticity)
 6,471 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Dyskinetic, writhing-like movements, similar to those produced in mice after an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of acetic acid, were elicited by intrathecal (IT) injection of GABA, glycine, taurine or beta-alanine. Baclofen and muscimol failed to produce this behavior. While acetic acid-induced writhing is inhibited by narcotic and nonnarcotic compounds, GABA-induced writhing was found to be insensitive to pretreatment with either morphine or capsaicin. Moreover, acetic acid-induced writhing does not appear to involve GABAergic transmission as IT injections of nipecotic acid did not alter the intensity of response to IP acetic acid while it enhanced the response to IT GABA. Writhing induced by glycine was not inhibited by strychnine at subconvulsive doses, suggesting that it involves an action at strychnine-insensitive receptors. Together these data suggest that while the dyskinetic movements produced by inhibitory amino acids do not appear to reflect an alteration in nociception, they may mimic either the motor response to abdominal pain or spasticity.
 ...
PMID:Intrathecal GABA, glycine, taurine or beta-alanine elicits dyskinetic movements in mice. 272 12

Spasticity is a frequent and complex sequel to spinal cord injury. The neurochemical basis for the origin of spasticity is largely unknown. Glycine is among the most abundant neurotransmitters in the spinal cord. However, the role of glycine and related compounds in spasticity have received little attention. An ischemic spinal cord injury was created in rabbits, by an intraaortic balloon occlusion technique, which produced lower limb spasticity. A catheter was inserted into the cisterna magna and the spinal cord was bathed with 100 microM solutions of glycine, strychnine, D-serine, beta-alanine, MK-801, or artificial CSF for 4 hours at a rate of 10 microliters/min. H-reflexes were monitored before and during infusion by stimulating the posterior tibial nerve and recording from the plantar surface of the foot. Glycine, D-serine, and MK-801 depressed the H wave, strychnine produced a heightened H wave, and beta-alanine caused no significant changes. These results indicate that glycine and related compounds may influence spasticity.
 ...
PMID:The influence of glycine and related compounds on spinal cord injury-induced spasticity. 874 6