![[Feedback]](/icons/banner/feedbackACT.gif){kind=icon}
![[For Subscribers]](/icons/banner/subscriberACT.gif){kind=icon}
![[Archive]](/icons/banner/archiveACT.gif){kind=icon}
![[Search]](/icons/banner/searchACT.gif){kind=icon}
![[Contents]](/icons/banner/tocACT.gif){kind=icon}
|
|
|
|
|
||
Vol. 284, Issue 2, 474-479, February 1998
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, School of
Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
We have previously shown that the novel anticonvulsant levetiracetam
exerts potent anticonvulsant activity against both focal and
secondarily generalized seizures in fully amygdala-kindled rats,
i.e., a model of temporal lobe epilepsy. We examined
whether levetiracetam also exhibits antiepileptogenic activity,
i.e., prevents or retards acquisition or development of
amygdala-kindling in rats. Before the experiments with chronic
administration of levetiracetam at different doses, we determined the
pharmacokinetics of the drug after i.p. injection. Levetiracetam had a
relatively short half-life (about 2-3 hr) in rats, so that any lasting
effects of the drug after chronic administration were certainly not due to drug accumulation. When rats were treated with levetiracetam during
kindling acquisition at daily i.p. doses of 13, 27 or 54 mg/kg, the
drug dose-dependently suppressed the increase in seizure severity and
duration induced by repeated amygdala stimulation. After termination of
daily treatment with 54 mg/kg, duration of behavioral seizures and of
afterdischarges recorded from the amygdala remained to be significantly
shorter compared to vehicle controls, although amygdala stimulations
were continued in the absence of drug. These data thus indicate that
levetiracetam not simply masked the expression of kindled seizures
through an anticonvulsant action, but exerted a true antiepileptogenic
effect. Adverse effects were not observed at any dose of levetiracetam
tested in kindled rats. The powerful antiepileptogenic activity of
levetiracetam in the kindling model indicates that levetiracetam is not
only an interesting novel drug for symptomatic treatment of epilepsy
but might be suited for pharmacological prevention of this disease in
patients with a high prospective risk of the development of epilepsy.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  T. A. Milligan, S. Hurwitz, and E. B. Bromfield Efficacy and tolerability of levetiracetam versus phenytoin after supratentorial neurosurgery Neurology, August 26, 2008; 71(9): 665 - 669. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. L. Holmes Animal model studies application to human patients Neurology, December 11, 2007; 69(24_suppl_3): S28 - S32. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Michelucci Optimizing therapy of seizures in neurosurgery Neurology, December 26, 2006; 67(12_suppl_4): S14 - S18. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Cataldi, V. Lariccia, A. Secondo, G. di Renzo, and L. Annunziato The Antiepileptic Drug Levetiracetam Decreases the Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate-Dependent [Ca2+]i Increase Induced by ATP and Bradykinin in PC12 Cells J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., May 1, 2005; 313(2): 720 - 730. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F. Vigevano Topical Review: Levetiracetam in Pediatrics J Child Neurol, February 1, 2005; 20(2): 87 - 93. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P Kwan and J W Sander The natural history of epilepsy: an epidemiological view J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, October 1, 2004; 75(10): 1376 - 1381. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Sankar and G. L. Holmes Mechanisms of Action for the Commonly Used Antiepileptic Drugs: Relevance to Antiepileptic Drug-Associated Neurobehavioral Adverse Effects J Child Neurol, August 1, 2004; 19(1_suppl): S6 - S14. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. A. Lynch, N. Lambeng, K. Nocka, P. Kensel-Hammes, S. M. Bajjalieh, A. Matagne, and B. Fuks The synaptic vesicle protein SV2A is the binding site for the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam PNAS, June 29, 2004; 101(26): 9861 - 9866. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Sankar and G. L. Holmes Mechanisms of Action for the Commonly Used Antiepileptic Drugs: Relevance to Antiepileptic Drug--Associated Neurobehavioral Adverse Effects J Child Neurol, January 1, 2004; 19(1_suppl): S6 - S14. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Braunig and S. Kruger Levetiracetam in the Treatment of Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder J Psychopharmacol, June 1, 2003; 17(2): 239 - 241. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Pitkanen Drug-mediated neuroprotection and antiepileptogenesis: Animal data Neurology, November 12, 2002; 59(90095): S27 - 33. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. C. Walker, H. S. White, and J. W. A. S. Sander Disease modification in partial epilepsy Brain, September 1, 2002; 125(9): 1937 - 1950. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S D Shorvon and K van Rijckevorsel A new antiepileptic drug J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, April 1, 2002; 72(4): 426 - 429. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Y. H. Sohn, A. Kaelin-Lang, H. Y. Jung, and M. Hallett Effect of levetiracetam on human corticospinal excitability Neurology, September 11, 2001; 57(5): 858 - 863. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Krakow, M. Walker, C. Otoul, and J.W.A.S. Sander Long-term continuation of levetiracetam in patients with refractory epilepsy Neurology, June 26, 2001; 56(12): 1772 - 1774. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. J. Cereghino, V. Biton, B. Abou-Khalil, F. Dreifuss, L. J. Gauer, and I. Leppik Levetiracetam for partial seizures: Results of a double-blind, randomized clinical trial Neurology, July 25, 2000; 55(2): 236 - 242. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
