Laminaria ochroleuca: A preliminary study of its effect on the central nervous system

The effects were studied of a methanolic extract of the brown alga Laminaria ochroleuca on the central nervous system (CNS) of mice. Spontaneous motor activity, exploratory behaviour, motor coordination, d-amphetamine-induced hypermotility, body temperature, pentobarbital-induced hypnosis, pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions and analgesic activity were assessed. At doses between 25 and 100mg/kg, the extract showed significant activity in all tests except that of pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions. It is concluded that the methanolic extract of Laminaria ochroleuca is a CNS depressant with slight analgesic activity.