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Phenobarbital and midazolam increase neonatal seizure‐associated neuronal injury
Author(s) -
Torolira Daniel,
Suchomelova Lucie,
Wasterlain Claude G.,
Niquet Jerome
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.24967
Subject(s) - status epilepticus , phenobarbital , gabaergic , medicine , midazolam , epilepsy , adverse effect , anesthesia , seizure threshold , neuroscience , anticonvulsant , pharmacology , psychology , sedation , psychiatry , receptor
Status epilepticus is common in neonates and infants, and is associated with neuronal injury and adverse developmental outcomes. γ‐Aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) drugs, the standard treatment for neonatal seizures, can have excitatory effects in the neonatal brain, which may worsen the seizures and their effects. Using a recently developed model of status epilepticus in postnatal day 7 rat pups that results in widespread neuronal injury, we found that the GABA A agonists phenobarbital and midazolam significantly increased status epilepticus–associated neuronal injury in various brain regions. Our results suggest that more research is needed into the possible deleterious effects of GABAergic drugs on neonatal seizures and on excitotoxic neuronal injury in the immature brain. Ann Neurol 2017;82:115–120