The binding of [3H]nimodipine to purified synaptic plasma membranes (SPM) isolated from sheep brain cortex was characterized, and the effects of nimodipine, nifedipine, and (+)-verapamil on the [3H]nimodipine binding were compared to the effects on 45Ca2+ translocation under conditions that separate 45Ca2+ fluxes through Ca2+ channels from 45Ca2+ uptake via Na+/Ca2+ exchange. [3H]Nimodipine lab...

Twenty-four patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of a supratentorial aneurysm underwent surgery within 72 hours after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Immediately after clipping of the aneurysm the patients were treated with intravenous nimodipine for at least 7 days and then received the drug orally for another week. Nine patients had a documented or probable intake of aspirin or other...

The efficacy of nimodipine in preventing ischemic brain injury was tested in rats subjected to a 20-minute period of high-grade forebrain ischemia by 4-vessel occlusion. Three minutes after restoration of circulation to the brain, an intravenous bolus of 5 micrograms/kg nimodipine or an equivalent amount of vehicle or saline was given, followed by continuous intravenous infusion of the respecti...

Calcium channel antagonists have been shown to have an anticonvulsant activity in a variety of seizure models and also to potentiate the anticonvulsant activity of other standard antiepileptic drugs like carbamazepine, phenytoin and valporoate. A pharmacokinetic interaction may be involved in such potentiation. This cross over single dose study was carried out to find out if there was a pharmac...

The present study examined the effect of nimodipine on a reference memory task and on the induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Young rats, subcutaneously implanted with either a 30 mg nimodipine or placebo pellet, were trained on the Barnes circular platform task. Retention was tested 15 days following acquisition. Following behavioural tes...

After chronic spinal injury, motoneurons spontaneously develop two persistent inward currents (PICs): a TTX-sensitive persistent sodium current (sodium PIC) and a nimodipine-sensitive persistent calcium current (calcium PIC). In the present paper, we examined how these PICs contributed to motoneuron firing. Adult rats were spinalized at the S(2) sacral level, and after 2 months intracellular re...

One week oral flurazepam (FZP) administration in rats results in reduced GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in CA1 pyramidal neurons associated with benzodiazepine tolerance in vivo and in vitro. Since voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) current density is enhanced twofold during chronic FZP treatment, the role of L-type VGCCs in regulating benzodiazepine-induced changes in CA1 ne...

BACKGROUND Cerebral vasospasm is one of the leading courses for disability in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Effective treatment of vasospasm is therefore one of the main priorities for these patients. We report about a case series of continuous intra-arterial infusion of the calcium channel antagonist nimodipine for 1-5 days on the intensive care unit. METHODS In thirty patients with an...

The agonist effect of the dihydropyridine (DHP) (-)Bay K 8644 and the inhibitory effects of nine antagonist DHPs were studied at a constant membrane potential of 0 mV in Ca channels of skeletal muscle transverse tubules incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. Four phenylalkylamines (verapamil, D600, D575, and D890) and d-cis-diltiazem were also tested. In Ca channels activated by 1 microM Bay ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of nimodipine on hemodynamic state, vasospasm, and short time prognosis of diffuse axonal injury (DAI) patients. METHODS In a prospective, clinical trial double blind study, 40 DAI patients with Glasgow coma scale of 5-8 were selected and randomly divided into 2 equal groups. The first group was treated with 60 mg of nimodipine every 4 hours immediately after...