Alteration of brain stem auditory evoked potentials after intracerebroventricular administration of met-enkephalin in rabbits.

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were elicited by binaural click stimulation and recorded from the rabbits with chronically implanted electrodes and a cannula for intracerebroventricular injection (i.c.v.). 400 BAEPs were averaged off line. The registration was carried out before and after i.c.v. injection of met-enkephalin (2.5 or 25 nmol), naloxone (20 micrograms), or i.v. injection of morphine (1.0, 2.0, 5.0 mg/kg b.w.). Enkephalin caused shortening of interpeak latency time, naloxone caused its lengthening, while the effect of morphine was not unidirectional. Enkephalin caused increase in the surface area below the negative peaks located in the range of 4.5-7.5 ms from the first positive peak, naloxone caused its decrease while the effect of morphine was also in this respect not unidirectional. It is concluded that opiate receptors are involved in the modulation of the auditory brainstem responses.