Abstracts

RATIONALE: SE has deleterious acute and chronic consequences clinically and experimentally. Most experimental studies have focussed on short-term outcomes of therapy. In this study we examined both short- and long-term consequences of treatment with three different compounds at three different time points after the induction of SE in rats. METHODS: Limbic SE was induced by electrical continuous hippocampal stimulation (CHS) for 90 min. PB, PHT, and MK-801 was administered at 60, 120, and 240 min after initiation of stimulation. We evaluated acute effects on behavioral/EEG suppression, and acute mortality; and chronic effects on epilepsy prophylaxis, and mortality. These data were compared with control rats administered saline at CHS completion (n=16). RESULTS: During the acute phase, PB(n=38) and MK-801(n=25) were effective in SE suppression at all treatment times, whereas PHT (n=41) was ineffective in either behavioral or EEG suppression. PB at 60 min and MK-801 at 120 min post-CHS onset were effective in the prevention of chronic epilepsy, whereas PHT was ineffective. Of interest, the antiepileptogenic effects of PB and MK-801 were independent of SE suppression. Acute and late mortality with all 3 AEDs did not show any significant difference. CONCLUSIONS In our model of limbic epilepsy, PB and MK-801 are effective SE suppressants and antiepileptogenic. The antiepileptogenic effect of these AEDs is independent of SE suppression. PHT has little effect on SE suppression and prevention of epilepsy. RESULTS: CONCLUSIONS: