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Antiepileptic drugs and mechanisms of epileptogenesis. A review
R Mutani1, R Cantello, M Gianelli
1Cattedra di Neurologia, Università di Torino, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia di Novara.
Abstract:
This paper analyzes the effect of conventional (phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, ethosuximide, valproate) and some novel (vigabatrin, lamotrigine, felbamate) AEDs on some basic mechanisms involved in focal and/or generalized epileptogenesis (Na+ voltage-dependent channels and sustained repetitive firing, L-, N-, and T-type Ca2+ currents, GABA-mediated inhibition, Glu/Asp-mediated excitation, after-hyperpolarization). According to this analysis, AEDs can be divided into two main categories, those with only one specific action and those with multiple actions. A speculative correlation is proposed between AED effects on the mechanism of epileptogenesis and their known clinical effect on seizures.
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