title: Stable anticonvulsant action of benzodiazepines during development in rats.
abstract: The anticonvulsant action of midazolam and clonazepam was studied in 168 immature rats in three age groups (12, 18 and 25 days old). Epileptic after-discharges of the spike-and-wave type accompanied by clonic seizures of facial and forelimb muscles induced by stimulation of sensorimotor cortex were used as a model. The solvent used for clonazepam exhibited a tendency to anticonvulsant action in 12-day-old rats. On the contrary, a proconvulsant action was seen in 25-day-old animals. The action of both benzodiazepines was identical and did not change substantially during development. The highest dose used (1 mg kg-1, i.p.) shortened the duration of epileptic after-discharges, the two lower doses (0.1 and 0.02 mg kg-1, i.p.) suppressed the progressive prolongation with repeated stimulations seen under control conditions. Motor correlates of stimulation remained practically uninfluenced by the two benzodiazepines, myoclonic seizures accompanying epileptic after-discharges were attenuated by the highest dose of both drugs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kubová
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mares
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vorlícek
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002998:Clonazepam / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008874:Midazolam / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002998:Clonazepam; D008874:Midazolam