title: Sedative and anticonvulsant drugs suppress postnatal neurogenesis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sedative and anticonvulsant drugs, which inhibit N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated excitation or enhance GABA-mediated action, may cause apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing mammalian brain. Here we explored whether such agents influence early postnatal neurogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist MK801 and the GABA subtype A agonists phenobarbital and diazepam were administered to infant rats, and cell proliferation and neurogenesis were studied in the brain using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and doublecortin immunohistochemistry and stereology. Using confocal microscopy, we quantified neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus on postnatal day 15 (P15) after treatment with MK801 or phenobarbital on P6 to P10. Learning and memory were assessed at the age of 6 months after early postnatal treatment with phenobarbital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MK801, phenobarbital, and diazepam reduced numbers of newly born cells in the brain. We found no evidence that these agents caused apoptosis of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-positive cells. In the dentate gyrus, many of the newly formed cells differentiated toward a neuronal phenotype. Phenobarbital and MK801 reduced numbers of newly formed neurons in the dentate gyrus. At the age of 6 months, phenobarbital-treated rats had fewer neurons in the dentate gyrus and performed worse than saline-treated littermates in water maze learning and memory task.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings show that blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated excitation and enhancement of GABA subtype A receptor activation impair cell proliferation and inhibit neurogenesis in the immature rat brain. Because many sedative and antiepileptic drugs used in pediatric medicine act via these mechanisms, our findings raise concerns about their potential impact on human brain development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Children's Hospital, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, University of Technology Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Vanya G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Stefovska
authors.forename: Ortrud
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Uckermann
authors.forename: Miroslaw
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czuczwar
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smitka
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Czuczwar
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kis
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kaindl
authors.forename: Lechoslaw
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Turski
authors.forename: Waldemar A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Turski
authors.forename: Chrysanthy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ikonomidou
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; C000714848:Dcx protein, rat; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine