title: Noradrenergic influences on sound-induced seizures.
abstract: The preferential alpha-2 noradrenergic agonists, clonidine (0.2--0.4 mg/kg), oxymetazoline (2.5--10.0 mg/kg) and UK 14,304 (0.6 mg/kg), when given i.p., reduce the severity of audiogenic seizures in 19- to 26-day-old DBA/2 mice. This protective effect can be diminished or reversed by alpha-2 noradrenergic antagonists such as yohimbine (2.5 mg/kg) or piperoxan (20--50 mg/kg) given i.p. or phentoalamine (100 micrograms) given intracerebroventricularly. It is not reversed by the preferential alpha-1 noradrenergic antagonist phenoxybenzamine (5 mg/kg) given i.p. Yohimbine, (1--2.5 mg/kg), piperoxan (20--50 mg/kg) or phenoxybenzamine (5 mg/kg) given i.p. alone did not change the severity of audiogenic seizure responses. Phentolamine (10--100 micrograms) or prazosin (10--50 micrograms) given intracerebroventricularly induced spontaneous limb myoclonus in some mice. Audiogenic seizure responses were unchanged after phentolamine (10--100 micrograms) but were reduced after prazosin (25--50 micrograms). Activation of a receptor pharmacologically similar to the peripheral alpha-2 noradrenergic receptor protects against seizures in this epilepsy model.
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D004347:Drug Interactions; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010646:Phentolamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010883:Piperoxan / Q000494:pharmacology; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015016:Yohimbine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D015016:Yohimbine; D010883:Piperoxan; D009638:Norepinephrine; D010646:Phentolamine