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Related Concept Videos

Electroconvulsive Therapy01:30

Electroconvulsive Therapy

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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early...
387
Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview01:24

Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

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Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
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Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists01:14

Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists

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Glutamate is a fundamental neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, playing a vital role in neuronal communication and various cognitive processes. Glutamate stands as the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Its presence is crucial for the communication between neurons, underpinning essential processes such as synaptic transmission, neuronal excitability, and plasticity. These functions are vital for higher-order cognitive processes, including learning and memory. The...
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Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents01:23

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

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Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...
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Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators01:20

Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators

423
Ezocgabine or retigabine, an antiepileptic drug of remarkable efficacy, has revolutionized the management of seizures. It is a potassium channel activator, explicitly targeting the family of Q subtype potassium channels. It enhances the transmembrane potassium currents, regulating neuronal excitability. This action stabilizes the resting membrane potential, a pivotal factor in mitigating the hyperexcitability that characterizes epilepsy.
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
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Antiepileptic Drugs: GABAergic Pathway Potentiators01:18

Antiepileptic Drugs: GABAergic Pathway Potentiators

925
γ-aminobutyric acid or GABA, plays a pivotal role as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. GABA pathway potentiators, also known as GABAergic drugs, are a class of pharmaceutical agents designed to enhance the functioning of the GABAergic system. These medications primarily treat epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures.
The key GABA pathway potentiators used in epilepsy management are as follows.
Benzodiazepines are a well-known class of drugs used for...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
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Serotonergic therapy in epilepsy.

Frank G Gilliam1, Hrvoje Hecimovic2, Matthew S Gentry3

  • 1Department of Neurology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Harlingen, Texas, USA.

Current Opinion in Neurology
|March 5, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Serotonin-based therapies show promise for improving seizure control and preventing sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are recommended for treating depression in epilepsy patients.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • The serotonergic system significantly influences epilepsy, affecting seizure susceptibility, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), and comorbid depression.
  • Research has elucidated serotonin's diverse effects on brain function, with animal models demonstrating its role in seizure threshold and SUDEP prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the potential of serotonergic therapies for enhancing clinical outcomes in epilepsy.
  • To explore the role of serotonin in seizure control, SUDEP prevention, and comorbid depression management.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent research findings on the serotonergic system in epilepsy.
  • Analysis of data from animal models and human clinical studies.
  • Evaluation of evidence for specific serotonergic treatments.

Main Results:

  • Serotonergic augmentation shows protective effects against SUDEP and improves behavioral outcomes in epilepsy models.
  • Clinical studies largely align with animal data, though treatment translation is slow.
  • Fenfluramine has shown positive results in a clinical trial for Dravet syndrome.

Conclusions:

  • Serotonergic therapies offer promising avenues for seizure control and SUDEP prevention in epilepsy.
  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are supported for treating comorbid depression in epilepsy patients.
  • Further research and clinical translation are needed to fully leverage serotonergic system's potential in epilepsy management.