Abstract
We know many a drug which produces narcosis or excitement on the brain, and is of a great importance both in pharmacology and in clinical practice. However, the chemical basis for the pharmacological action of these neurotropic agents, especially of the convulsants is ill-defined yet.
McIlwain(1), Stone(2) and Richter(3) insisted that the lactic acid concentration in the brain serves as a reliable indicator to the change of the function al activity of the brain. Since Quastel(4) postulated that narcotics inhibit the oxidative metabolism in brain tissues, many active investigations have been attempted to clarify how a narcotic acts upon the nervous system. Inspite of those keen attempts for the closer approach we can't be as yet favored with the clear-cut view on that mechanism.
Nachmansohn(5) reported that the transmissions of action potential and of impulse in nerve cells are certainly connected with the release and inactivation of the acetylcholine (ACh), the resynthesis of which and the action potential of nerve cells are provided with the energy by energy-rich bonds in the phosphate linkage. According to Dawson(6) the breakdown of acetylcholine complex is likely to be related to the function of nerve cells.
The following description of our experimentation designates an attempt to investigate the relationships of acetylcholine, phosphate esters, lactic acid and the functional activity in a certain area of the cerebral cortex where excitement or narcosis is induced by some kinds of neurotropic agents.
