INTRAPERITONEAL DIZOCILPINE INDUCES CORTICAL SPIKE-WAVE SEIZURE DISCHARGES IN RATS

Dizocilpine has been shown to be anticonvulsant in several experimenta l models of epilepsy. Nevertheless, 0.3 or 0.5 mg/kg intraperitoneal ( i.p.) dizocilpine produced cortical spike-wave discharges (SWDs) in fo ur of seven rats. The SWDs were accompanied by behavioral arrest, and also showed: a narrow range of induction times (around 25 min post-inj ection); hippocampal spikes closely correlated with the cortical spike s of the SWDs; a precipitous drop out of fast (45-100 Hz) cortical EEG ; myoclonic bursts in nuchal EMG that began during the cortical slow w aves. These findings suggest that patients being treated experimentall y for stroke with noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) cation ch annel blockers should be monitored for seizures.