title: Simulation of action potential damping produced by anticonvulsant drugs.
abstract: Anticonvulsant drugs reduce the ability of central neurones to sustain high-frequency repetitive firing of action potentials. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that this effect is primarily due to a Na+ conductance reduction. We have simulated the electrical behaviour of a neurone, including Ca2+ and various K+ conductances. Although a reduction of Na+ conductance produces a progressive reduction until a complete suppression of the action potential bust, a smaller reduction of this conductance is necessary to produce the same effect when the delayed-rectifier K+ conductance and the Ca2+ conductance are concomitantly reduced . The results indicate that the drugs action on conductances other than Na+ is important for determining their anticonvulsant effect on neurones at therapeutic concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ciberneticae Biofisica, C.N.R, Via De Marini 6, Genova, I-16149, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rauch
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nobile
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D007700:Kinetics; D008433:Mathematics; D008959:Models, Neurological; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium