J. Rho, S. Donevan, M. Rogawski
Feb 1, 1994
Citations
3
Influential Citations
203
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Annals of Neurology
Abstract
Felbamate is a promising new antiepileptic drug whose mechanism of action is unknown. In whole‐cell voltage clamp recordings from cultured rat hippocampal neurons, clinically relevant concentrations of felbamate (0.1–3 mM) inhibited N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) responses and potentiated γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) responses. Single‐channel recordings indicated that the effect on NMDA responses occurred via a channel blocking mechanism. Felbamate is the first anticonvulsant drug with dual actions on excitatory (NMDA) and inhibitory (GABA) brain mechanisms. This unique combination of effects could account for felbamate's broad spectrum of anticonvulsant activity in animal seizure models and its distinctive clinical efficacy and safety profile.