Effect of a spider toxin on glutaminergic synapses in the mammalian brain

A spider toxin (JSTX) which specifically blocks the glutamate receptors in crustacea was also effective in mammalian brain synapses. Using slice preparations we found that JSTX irreversibly suppressed postsynaptic potentials in the hippocampus and the olfactory cortex, whereas the postsynaptic potentials in the superior colliculus were unaffected. The results suggest that JSTX specifically blocks glutaminergic transmission in the central nervous system as well as in crustacean neuromuscular junctions.