Vigabatrin and gabaculine, both highly specific inhibitors of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) transaminase, cause significant elevation of endogenous GABA levels in brain. The time course of GABA concentration after acute GABA transaminase inhibition was measured quantitatively in the alpha-chloralose-anesthetized rat brain using in vivo selective homonuclear polarization transfer spectroscopy. ...

In the past twenty years, 14 new antiepileptic drugs have been approved for use in the United States and/or Europe. These drugs are eslicarbazepine acetate, felbamate, gabapentin, lacosamide, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, pregabalin, rufinamide, stiripentol, tiagabine, topiramate, vigabatrin and zonisamide. In general, the clinical utility of therapeutic drug monitoring has not bee...

Epilepsy associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is characterized by early onset and intractable seizures in the majority of children. There is a solid evidence of clinical efficacy of vigabatrin in interrupting infantile spasms associated with TSC. Due to an early diagnosis we were able to start vigabatrin at the very early onset of seizures in 10 children, who subsequently underwent ...

PURPOSE To determine whether visual functions are decreased in children with infantile spasms and vigabatrin-attributed retinal toxicity. METHODS Contrast sensitivity and grating acuity were measured by using sweep visual evoked potential (VEP) testing in 42 children with infantile spasms (mean age, 29.23 +/- 18.31 months). All children had been exposed to vigabatrin (VGB) for a minimum of 1 ...