[The phenomenon of synchronization in the status epilepticus produced by penicillin and its changes after Clonazepam...

The purpose of this series of experiments was to understand how Clonazepam changes the mechanisms of synchronization in seizures. Penicillin was applied to the rabbits cortex. Interictal spikes and seizures were recorded with multiple electrodes from both the cortical surface and intracortically. The spatio-temporal relationships during these electrical events were studied by topographical methods. Moreover, power spectrum and coherence estimates were performed. A most characteristic feature seen with low doses of Clonazepam is a regularization of the spatio-temporal behaviour of both spikes and seizures. The number of tonic phases considerably increases at the cost of clonic phases. The seizures take more time to become generalized. The generator-zones become larger. This is explained by a decrease of the number of neurones--by Clonazepam--which are still left to produce "paroxysmal depolarization shifts". The findings confirm the increase of postsynaptic cortical inhibition under Clonazepam, as demonstrated by various authors.