EFFECT OF SPANTIDE, A SUBSTANCE-P ANTAGONIST, ON CEREBRAL VASOSPASM IN PRIMATES

Experimental SAH in the squirrel monkey induces an angiographically de monstrable late spasm of about 23% at six days post subarachnoid haemo rrhage (SAH). The late spasm is associated with a generalized reductio n in cerebral blood flow (CBF) of about 30%. Intracisternal administra tion of the substance P (SP) antagonist spantide two hours and three d ays post SAH significantly reduces the degree of late spasm and also d ecreases the degree of CBF reduction. The findings suggest that SP is involved in the development of both angiographical spasm and CBF chang es post SAH.