| Popis: |
Studies carried out as early as the 1950s suggested that the monoamines, especially norepinephrine, exhibit anticonvulsant properties in rodent models of epilepsy. Over the following five decades, a massive amount of evidence has been amassed to support the concept that norepinephrine (NE) can suppress seizure discharge. Indeed, this anticonvulsant property has been demonstrated against unilateral and bilateral limbic/cortical seizures and against generalized tonic/clonic seizures. Not only is NE anticonvulsant, as supported by evidence, but also does this neurotransmitter inhibits seizure-induced kindling; that is, norepinephrine inhibits seizure-induced exacerbation of seizure expression. Despite the preponderance of evidence regarding a powerful NE anticonvulsant effect, there has been little effort to augment noradrenergic signaling as antiepileptic or seizure suppressing therapy. In this article, we review the evidence that suggests that this amine is worthy of more research directed at developing novel ways to selectively augment noradrenergic neurotransmission in discrete brain regions for the treatment of epilepsy. |
