Enhancement by anesthetic and convulsant barbiturates of GABA binding to rat brain synaptosomal membranes.

All of the anesthetic (amylobarbitone, butobarbitone, pentobarbitone, phenobarbitone, and secobarbitone) and convulsant (5-ethyl-5(3'-methylbut-2-enyl) barbituric acid (3M2B) and 5-ethyl-5-(2'-cyclohexylidene-ethyl) barbituric acid (CHEB) barbiturates tested enhanced the binding of GABA to a carefully prepared P2 membrane fraction from rat brain in a dose-dependent manner. These findings are in agreement with the potentiation of the inhibitory effects of GABA in many neuronal systems by both classes of barbiturates.