Carbamazepine blocks NMDA-activated currents in cultured spinal cord neurons. |
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| Authors: | H Lampe H Bigalke |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical School of Hannover, FRG. |
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| Abstract: | The antiepileptic agents, carbamazepine and phenytoin, suppress seizures in man and convulsant-induced hyperactivity in spinal cord nerve cell cultures. In the present study, we have shown by whole cell recording that carbamazepine, in contrast to phenytoin, blocks N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-activated membrane currents in cultured neurons in a dose-dependent fashion. The NMDA receptor-activated channel, which is blocked at physiological concentrations of Mg2+ at resting membrane potential, can be activated by glutamate in depolarized neurons and thus be involved in epileptogenesis. Therefore, the block of NMDA-evoked membrane currents in cultured neurons may contribute to the clinical effectiveness of carbamazepine. |
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