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SUMMARY1. Monosynaptic excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs) produced in spinal motoneurones of the cat by stimulation of a single afferent fibre were recorded with intracellular electrodes.2. In total, seventy-three triceps surae motoneurones were studied with stimulation of thirty-six different afferent fibres.3. The mean amplitude of the EPSPs evoked by single afferent impulses ranged from 0-06 to 2-0 mV with an average of 0-27 mV.

SUMMARY1. Hyperpolarization following single and repetitive excitation of dorsal spinocerebellar tract (DSCT) neurones of the cat was studied by intracellular recording.2. Hyperpolarization following an antidromic action potential consisted of an initial, brief phase (undershoot) and a late, prolonged phase. The latter hyperpolarization was independent of the membrane potential, whereas the former was reversed in polarity by hyperpolarizing pulses applied across the DSCT cell membrane.3. DSCT neurones showed a prolonged hyperpolarization after a train of antidromic action potentials. The amplitude and duration of the hyperpolarization were dependent on the number and the frequency of action potentials. A similar hyperpolarization was observed following a train of impulses evoked by depolarizing pulses applied through the intracellular electrode.4. There was no detectable conductance change during the post-tetanic hyperpolarization. The latter showed no reversal potential when the membrane potential was altered.5. The half-decay time of the post-tetanic hyperpolarization was lengthened when the cord temperature was lowered. The temperature coefficient (Q10) was 2-4 within the range of 31-40°C.6. The amplitude of the undershoot following each action potential was assumed to provide a criterion for the accumulation of the extracellular K+. Alterations in the amplitude of undershoots during repetitive excitation suggested that the duration of post-tetanic hyperpolarization depends on the accumulation of extracellular K+ as well as of intracellular Na+ associated with a train of impulses.7. It is suggested that post-tetanic hyperpolarization is produced by an 840 M. KUNO, J. T. MIYAHARA AND J. N. WEAKLY electrogenic sodium pump. A possible significance of such a hyperpolarization in impulse coding is discussed.

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The 1.5-benzodiazepine (clobazam), the 1,4-benzodiazepine (diazepam), and two nonbenzodiazepine antiepileptic drugs (phenobarbital and valproate) were evaluated in mice and rats with a battery of well-standardized anticonvulsant test procedures. The results obtained indicate that clobazam and valproate exhibit a wider range of experimental anticonvulsant activity than either diazepam or phenobarbital. Except for clobazam by the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) test in rats, clobazam and valproate are effective in nontoxic doses against MES and all four chemically induced seizures (Metrazol, bicuculline, picrotoxin, and strychnine). Clobazam is effective by the MES test in rats only in doses that exceed the median minimal toxic dose. Phenobarbital is effective against all of the above tests, but minimal toxic doses must be employed to prevent strychnine seizures. Diazepam, on the other hand, is effective in nontoxic doses against seizures induced by Metrazol, bicuculline, and picrotoxin, but protects animals from maximal electroshock and strychnine seizures only when given in toxic doses. When compared on the basis of protective indices (PI = TD50/ED50) calculated from intraperitoneal data, the PIs for clobazam were 1.6 to 13 times higher than those for diazepam. Overall, except for the MES test in rats, the PIs for clobazam were from 1.5 to 44 times higher than those for any of the other three substances. With respect to the MES test in rats, the PI for clobazam was 10.8 times higher than that for diazepam; however, the PIs for phenobarbital and valproate were 3.5 and 4.4 times higher, respectively, than that for clobazam. These data suggest that the spectrum of anticonvulsant activity for the 1,5-benzodiazepine (clobazam) is superior to that for the 1,4-benzodiazepine (diazepam). Also, the broad experimental profile of anticonvulsant activity of clobazam agrees well with its reported broad clinical efficacy.