Abstract
The presynaptic protein neurotoxin β-bungarotoxin (β-bgt) caused degeneration of neurons, following stereotaxic administration into rat brain. Focal lesions were induced with as little as 0.1 ng (5 fmol) of β-bgt; indicating that the toxin is over 10 6 times more potent than kainic acid. More extensive studies in the septo-hippocampal system showed β-bgt lesions affected both cell bodies and nerve terminals and were not neurotransmitter-specific. The endogenous phospholipase A 2 activity of β-bgt did not simply account for the creation of lesions since an acidic phospholipase A isoenzyme from Vipera russellii was virtually inactive in causing neuronal damage.
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