Subchronic Treatment with CBZ Transiently Attenuates Its Anticonvulsant Activity in the Maximal Electroshock-Induced Seizure Test in Mice.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the anticonvulsant efficacy of carbamazepine (CBZ) following acute and chronic administration across four treatment protocols in a murine model of maximal electroshock-induced seizures. A single dose of the drug was utilized as a control. The neurotoxic effects were evaluated in the chimney test and the passive avoidance task.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic considerations for epilepsy - depression comorbidities.

Introduction: Epilepsy may be frequently associated with psychiatric disorders and its co-existence with depression usually results in the reduced quality of life of patients with epilepsy. Also, the efficacy of antiepileptic treatment in depressed patients with epilepsy may be significantly reduced.

Areas Covered: Results of experimental studies indicate that antidepressants co-administered with antiepileptic drugs may either increase their anticonvulsant activity, remain neutral or decrease the protective action of antiepileptic drugs in models of seizures.

Interactions between an antidepressant reboxetine and four classic antiepileptic drugs in the mouse model of myoclonic seizures.

Background: The incidence rate of depression among patients with epilepsy is relatively high. The basis of proper therapy is knowledge of drug interactions, which may enable to maximize therapeutic effects and minimize undesired effects of the combined treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of reboxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, on the seizure threshold and anticonvulsant effects of four classic antiepileptic drugs: valproate, phenobarbital, ethosuximide, and clonazepam.

Effect of cholecalciferol on the anticonvulsant action of some second generation antiepileptic drugs in the mouse model of maximal electroshock.

Background: From a theoretical point of view, cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) as a precursor of calcitriol, a representative of secosteroids, may have neuroprotective properties and affect seizure phenomena.

Methods: In the present study, interactions between cholecalciferol and three second generation antiepileptic drugs (oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine, and topiramate) were studied in the maximal electroshock test in mice. Effects of drugs on motor coordination, long-term memory and explorative behavior of animals were evaluated in the chimney test, passive-avoidance task and plus-maze test, respectively.

The safety and efficacy of fosphenytoin for the treatment of status epilepticus.

Fosphenytoin, a water-soluble prodrug of the antiepileptic drug phenytoin, is entirely and rapidly converted to this antiepileptic drug. The mechanism of action of fosphenytoin is related to the blockade of voltage-operated sodium channels. It was developed in order to obtain a phenytoin-like drug with improved water solubility.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic evaluation of eslicarbazepine for the treatment of epilepsy.

Introduction: Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is a novel antiepileptic drug registered as the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults. As a third-generation medication, ESL is believed to have favorable efficacy/safety profile and pharmacokinetic properties in comparison with related drugs (carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine).

Areas Covered: The aim of the paper was to evaluate pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of ESL with aspect to epilepsy treatment.

Effects of Chronic Lamotrigine Administration on Maximal Electroshock- Induced Seizures in Mice.

The aim of the study was to determine anticonvulsant activity of lamotrigine (LTG) after acute and chronic treatment in four different protocols against maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice. Such a knowledge seems to be valuable in view of the fact that all interactions between LTG and other drugs are evaluated in acute, not chronic, experiments. Electroconvulsions were produced by means of alternating current (50 Hz, 25 mA, 0.

Vague effects of chronic topiramate administration on maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice.

Background: Almost all experimental studies evaluating interactions between antiepileptic and non-antiepileptic drugs are based on their single administration, whereas epileptic patients require chronic pharmacotherapy. Herein, we attempted to figure out whether single and repeated administration of topiramate leads to the same anticonvulsant and undesired effects.

Methods: Experiments were conducted in the model of maximal electroshock in mice.

Antiarrhythmic drugs and epilepsy.

For a long time it has been suspected that epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmia may have common molecular background. Furthermore, seizures can affect function of the central autonomic control centers leading to short- and long-term alterations of cardiac rhythm. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) has most likely a cardiac mechanism.

Statins - are they anticonvulsant?

Statins are the most popular and effective lipid-lowering medications beneficial in hypercholesterolemias and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Growing evidence supports theory that statins exhibit neuroprotective action in acute stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or epilepsy. Hereby, we present available experimental data regarding action of this group of drugs on seizure activity and neuronal cell death.

Reboxetine and its influence on the action of classical antiepileptic drugs in the mouse maximal electroshock model.

Background: Our previous studies revealed that different classes of antidepressant drugs differently affect seizure phenomena. Continuing our research in this field, in the present study we wanted to investigate the influence of acute and chronic treatment with reboxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, on the anticonvulsant action of classical antiepileptic drugs.

Methods: Experiments were conducted in the model of electroconvulsive threshold and maximal electroshock in mice.

Risk factors of postural defects in children at school age.

Introduction And Objective: Postural defects increasingly more often concern children and adolescents at school age. The lack of prophylaxis and neglecting adequate procedures may lead to limitations of physical and motor abilities, back pain, or the development of severe spinal deformities. Recognition of the risk factors conducive to the occurrence of the disorder allows the creation of adequate conditions for the psychomotor development of children, as well as the elaboration and implementation of specified educational schemes directed at schools and parents.

Effect of acute and chronic tianeptine on the action of classical antiepileptics in the mouse maximal electroshock model.

Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of acute and chronic treatment with tianeptine, an antidepressant selectively accelerating presynaptic serotonin reuptake, on the protective activity of classical antiepileptic drugs in the maximal electroshock test in mice.

Methods: Electroconvulsions were produced by means of an alternating current (50 Hz, 25 mA, 0.2 s) delivered via ear-clip electrodes.

Safety issues around misuse of antiepileptics.

Introduction: Drug misuse is a deliberate or accidental (by omission) nonadherence to medical recommendations, which may range from inappropriate use (missed, increased, or lowered doses or even complete discontinuation of therapy) to compulsive overdosing. Currently, this phenomenon affects as many as 20 - 80% of epileptic patients.

Areas Covered: Long-standing research has enabled the identification and understanding of factors behind the phenomenon of nonadherence to medical recommendations.

Trazodone reduces the anticonvulsant action of certain classical antiepileptics in the mouse maximal electroshock model.

Background: The aim of the study was to examine effects of an acute and chronic treatment with trazodone, a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI), on the protective activity of four classical antiepileptic drugs provided in the maximal electroshock test in mice.

Methods: Electroconvulsions were produced in mice by means of an alternating current (50 Hz, 25 mA, 0.2 s) and delivered via ear-clip electrodes.

Effects of fluoxetine on the anticonvulsant action of valproate and ethosuximide in mouse model of myoclonic convulsions.

Depression is becoming a growing problem in rural areas. This psychiatric disorder often accompanies epilepsy. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of fluoxetine (FXT), a commonly used antidepressant, on the protective action of two conventional antiepileptic drugs: ethosuximide (ETX) and valproate (VPA), against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced convulsions in mice.

Nitric oxide, epileptic seizures, and action of antiepileptic drugs.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a variety of physiological and pathological roles in mammalian cells. In the central nervous system NO may behave as a second messenger, neuromodulator, and neurotransmitter, which may suggest an essential role of this gaseous molecule in epilepsy and epileptogenesis. The aim of this review is to survey the current literature in terms of experimental and clinical evidence of anti- or proconvulsive properties of NO and its implications in the anticonvulsive action of antiepileptic drugs.

Effect of acutely and chronically administered venlafaxine on the anticonvulsant action of classical antiepileptic drugs in the mouse maximal electroshock model.

The influence of acute and chronic treatments with intraperitoneal venlafaxine, a selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, on the anticonvulsant activity of selected antiepileptic drugs was studied in the maximal electroshock test in mice. Venlafaxine (12.5 and 25mg/kg), given either acutely or chronically, significantly increased the electroconvulsive threshold.

Melatonin in experimental seizures and epilepsy.

Although melatonin is approved only for the treatment of jet-lag syndrome and some types of insomnia, clinical data suggest that it is effective in the adjunctive therapy of osteoporosis, cataract, sepsis, neurodegenerative diseases, hypertension, and even cancer. Melatonin also modulates the electrical activity of neurons by reducing glutamatergic and enhancing GABA-ergic neurotransmission. The indoleamine may also be metabolized to kynurenic acid, an endogenous anticonvulsant.

Neuroprotective actions of neurosteroids.

Neurosteroids were initially defined as steroid hormones locally synthesized within the nervous tissue. Subsequently, they were described as steroid hormone derivatives that devoid hormonal action but still affect neuronal excitability through modulation of ionotropic receptors. Neurosteroids are further subdivided into natural (produced in the brain) and synthetic.

Immunological aspects of epilepsy.

In recent years, the concept of an immunological background of some types of epilepsy has been gaining an increasing number of supporters. The following article is an attempt to review the most significant studies that explore irregularities in patients with intractable epilepsy, search for and identify the immunological causal factors of seizures and, finally, associate these factors with particular syndromes that manifest in refractory epilepsy. We also discuss the efficacy of immunomodulatory treatment in the recognized syndromes.

Effect of acute and chronic treatment with milnacipran potentiates the anticonvulsant activity of conventional antiepileptic drugs in the maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice.

Rationale: Depression often coexists with epilepsy. Simultaneous therapy of the two diseases may be associated with pharmacodynamic and/or pharmacokinetic interactions between antiepileptic and antidepressant drugs.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of acute and chronic treatment with intraperitoneal milnacipran (MLN), a selective serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, on the protective activity of valproate, carbamazepine (CBZ), phenytoin, or phenobarbital (PB) in the maximal electroshock (MES) test in mice.

2-Methyl-6-phenylethynyl-pyridine (MPEP), a non-competitive mGluR5 antagonist, differentially affects the anticonvulsant activity of four conventional antiepileptic drugs against amygdala-kindled seizures in rats.

2-Methyl-6-phenylethynyl-pyridine (MPEP), a selective noncompetitive mGluR5 antagonist, influences the action of conventional antiepileptic drugs in amygdala-kindled seizures in rats. MPEP alone (up to 40 mg/kg) did not affect any seizure parameter. Moreover, the common treatment of MPEP with either carbamazepine or phenytoin (administered at subeffective doses) did not result in any anticonvulsant action in kindled rats.

Influence of agmatine on the protective action of numerous antiepileptic drugs against pentetrazole-induced seizures in mice.

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of agmatine (an endogenous neuromodulator/neurotransmitter in the brain) on the protective action of numerous classical and second-generation antiepileptic drugs (clonazepam, ethosuximide, gabapentin, phenobarbital, tiagabine, vigabatrin, and valproate) in the mouse pentetrazole-induced clonic seizure model. The results indicate that agmatine (up to 100 mg/kg, ip, 45 min before the test) did not alter the threshold for pentetrazole-induced clonic seizures in mice. However, agmatine (100 mg/kg, ip) significantly attenuated the anticonvulsant effects of vigabatrin against pentetrazole-induced clonic seizures by elevating the ED(50) value of vigabatrin from 517.

Effects of amlodipine, diltiazem, and verapamil on the anticonvulsant action of topiramate against maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice.

To assess the effect of 3 calcium channel antagonists (amlodipine, diltiazem, and verapamil) on the anticonvulsant action of topiramate (a new generation antiepileptic drug) in the mouse maximal electroshock seizure (MES) model. Amlodipine (20 mg/kg) significantly enhanced the anticonvulsant activity of topiramate in the MES test in mice, reducing its ED50 value from 54.83 to 33.