title: Melatonin and petit-mal epilepsy: an hypothesis.
abstract: Intraventricular administration of the opioid peptide leucine-enkephalin has been reported to induce petit-mal-like seizures in rats. These seizures have been found to be an age-dependent phenomenon. In rats, the full manifestation of these seizures develops after 4 weeks of age during which time ethosuximide was effective in aborting these seizures, while phenytoin and phenobarbital were ineffective. The period associated with the development of enkephalin-induced seizures in rats coincides with an important milestone in pineal chronobiology. In rats, melatonin plasma levels peak at 3 weeks of age, a period which also corresponds with the emergence of melatonin circadian rhythms. It is proposed that melatonin mediates the anticonvulsant action of drugs effective for petit-mal (absence) epilepsy and that the pineal gland is implicated in the pathogenesis of this form of childhood epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Democrition University of Thrace, Department of Medical Physics, Greece.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sandyk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008550:Melatonin / Q000097:blood*; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine; D008550:Melatonin; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole