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The effects of zoxazolamine (ZOX) and related centrally acting muscle relaxants on striatal dopamine (DA) metabolism and turnover, and substantia nigra zona compacta DA neuronal impulse flow were studied in rats. ZOX, chlorzoxazone and mephenesin, but not meprobamate, chloral hydrate, diazepam, pentobarbital, ethanol or dantrolene, decreased striatal DA metabolism without affecting striatal DA concentrations. More specifically, ZOX, as a representative muscle relaxant, was shown to decrease striatal DA turnover without directly affecting DA synthesis, catabolism, reuptake, or release. ZOX decreased nigral DA neuronal firing rates and dramatically decreased firing rate variability (normally many of the cells fire with bursting firing patterns but after ZOX the cells often fired with a very regular pacemaker-like firing pattern). ZOX and related centrally acting muscle relaxants appear to decrease striatal DA turnover by decreasing both neuronal firing rate and firing rate variability. The possible relationships between DA neuronal activity and muscle tone are discussed.
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
September 1988,
Undersea biomedical research,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
August 1974,
Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
October 1980,
American journal of hospital pharmacy,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
December 1961,
British journal of pharmacology and chemotherapy,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
June 2000,
Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny raekke,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
October 1994,
Journal of pain and symptom management,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
January 1989,
General pharmacology,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
January 1973,
Acta neurologica,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
February 1989,
Neuropharmacology,
R T Matthews, and
B A McMillen, and
S G Speciale, and
H Jarrah, and
P A Shore, and
M K Sanghera, and
P D Shepard, and
D C German
August 1971,
The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics,
