Effects of Glutamate on the Potentiating Action of Certain Ataraxics

Summary

Glutamate moderately increased the mean sleeping time in mice that received hexobarbital. Reserpine markedly potentiated the action of the barbiturate. Administration of glutamate prior to reserpine-hexobarbital combinations caused a further and pronounced increase in the sleeping time. This “potentiation of the potentiation” by MSG was not observed when proclorperazine is substituted for the reserpine although proclorperazine also increased the duration of hexobarbital-hypnosis. This suggests that the specificity of this effect of monosodium glutamate is probably dependent upon the type of tranquilizer. Regardless of which of the 2 ataraxics was used there was an overall sex difference in response to the combination of these drugs, male mice being more sensitive to the depressant drugs.