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Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
Published on: August 15, 2017
Rapid changes in brain benzodiazepine receptors after experimental seizures
Abstract:
Seizures induced in the rat by electroshock or by injections of pentylenetetrazol increase the specific binding of diazepam to putative receptor sites in cerebral cortical membranes. The enhancement of diazepam binding results from a rapid increase in the number of available binding sites rather than a change in receptor affinity. The postictal increase in cortical benzodiazepine receptors suggests that the cerebral cortex might be more sensitive to the anticonvulsant effects of the benzodiazepines after seizures. This observation may be related to the mechanism of action of these drugs in the treatment of recurrent seizures such as status epilepticus.
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