[Effect of antiepileptic agents in myoclonus of spinal origin]

Generalized myoclonia of spinal origin was induced by creating the generator of pathologically enhanced excitation (GPEE) in the propriospinal neuronal system of the anterior horns of the rat spinal cord. The syndrome is characterized by paroxysms in the regimen of clonic and tonic activity, bearing resemblance to the epileptiform neuronal discharges in epilepsy. This finding allows the syndrome to be considered as experimental epilepsy at the spinal cord level. Antiepileptic drugs (diphenylhydantoin, carbamazepine, diazepam) had a suppressive action on the clonic convulsive discharges, decreasing their frequency or eliminating them completely. The induced tonic electric activity was found to be resistant to these drugs. Only diazepam in large doses eliminated all types of the convulsive activity because of its sedative effect. The results obtained may be explained by both the specificity of the effect of antiepileptic drugs and features of the morphofunctional organization of hyperactive determinant structures of the generator itself and the whole pathological system.