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Mechanisms of Action of New Antiepileptic Drugs
Author(s) -
Porter Roger J.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
epilepsia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.687
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1528-1167
pISSN - 0013-9580
DOI - 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1989.tb05811.x
Subject(s) - epileptogenesis , pharmacology , mechanism of action , antiepileptic drug , drug , epilepsy , chemistry , benzodiazepine , neuroscience , receptor , medicine , biology , biochemistry , in vitro
Summary: Our understanding of how new antiepileptic drugs work mirrors what we know about how currently marketed antiepileptic compounds exert their action–that information is scarce and elusive. The mechanism of action of antiepileptic drugs is nevertheless inextricably linked to epileptogenesis itself, and investigations of several promising new compounds are underway to establish the levels at which these drugs act. Compounds act on synapses and membranes as well as affecting receptors, neurotransmitters, and peptides. The most extensive data are available on drugs that inhibit the action of GABA or its receptors, including new benzodiazepine‐like agents and barbituric‐acid derivatives. The few drugs that act by inhibiting the effects of excitatory amino acids are reviewed. Finally, the maximal electroshock test is an empirical method to determine the antiepileptic properties of a drug; several agents under development have been effective in this screening technique.