Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were paralysed with pancuronium and their lungs ventilated mechanically with 70% nitrous oxide and 0.5% halothane in oxygen. Bupivacaine 2 mg kg-1 min-1 was infused continuously i.v. until the animals died. At the onset of seizures, animals were given an i.v. bolus of propofol 1 mg kg-1 (n = 10), thiopentone 2 mg kg-1 (n = 10) or lipid vehicle (n = 10). Administration...

Generalized convulsive seizures are frightening to observe and often result in EMS calls. Seizures may be the symptom of a serious underlying medical or neurologic condition or may refl ect recurrent seizures, alcohol-related seizures, or poorly controlled epilepsy. It is estimated that between 1% and 2% of emergency department (ED) visits are for seizure-related complaints, with the majority o...

The present work studied the effect of calcium channel blocker (nimodipine) on epileptic seizures elicited by electrical stimulation of somatosensory cortex in young rats exposed to hypoxia. Rats were exposed to different patterns of short-term hypoxia (hypobaric or normobaric) and reactions of cortical neurones were registered. In the youngest animals (12-day-old), the effect was minimal, in o...

This report describes a rare case presenting with dystonic seizures due to anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis. The patient was an 18-year-old woman with repeated right-dominant dystonic seizures even under sedation. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) showed intense hyperperfusion of the caudate nuclei, putamen, globus pallidus, thalamus, and insula on the lef...

Generalized, tonic-clonic status epilepticus is well recognized as a common neurologic emergency requiring prompt treatment. The diagnosis is usually not difficult, other than for patients with prolonged seizures, who often develop increasingly subtle clinical features (1,2). There also appears to be a consensus among physicians regarding treatment (3). Nonetheless, there is a major, persistent...

Isolated Hemimegalencephaly (iHME) is a rare form of congenital malformation of cortical development.It is characterized by enlargement of all or part of one cerebral hemisphere. It typically presents with intractable seizures, mental retardation, developmental delay, contralateral hemiparesis and hemianopia. The patient was a five and half month's old baby girl who presented first with focal s...

Mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) has been linked to prolonged febrile seizures. The sequence of changes in the temporal lobe/hippocampus following prolonged febrile seizures and status epilepticus is beginning to be elucidated. We obtained repeated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetric analysis of the hippocampi in a 23-month-old boy after a prolonged focal febrile seizure. Three days afte...

A variety of animal models have been developed to study the effect of antiepileptic drugs. These models provide the means of inducing changes and causing alterations in neural function which may lead to epileptogenesis. Kindling is a lasting change in brain function caused by repeated stimulation resulting an increased seizure duration and progressive intensification of seizure activity. The ki...