Calcium antagonistic effects of carbamazepine as a mechanism of action in neuropsychiatric disorders: studies in calcium dependent model epilepsies

• Published in: European neuropsychopharmacology Vol. 2; no. 4; pp. 455 - 462
• Main Authors: Walden, J., Grunze, H., Bingmann, D., Liu, Z., Düsing, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.12.1992
• Subjects: Affective psychoses; Animals; Calcium antagonists; Calcium Channel Blockers - pharmacology; Carbamazepine; Carbamazepine - pharmacology; Carbamazepine - therapeutic use; Epilepsy - drug therapy; Epilepsy - physiopathology; Extracellular Space - drug effects; Extracellular Space - physiology; Guinea Pigs; Hippocampus - drug effects; In Vitro Techniques; Magnesium - physiology; Microelectrodes; Model epilepsies; N-Methylaspartate - pharmacology; Psychotic Disorders - drug therapy; Psychotic Disorders - psychology; Verapamil; Verapamil - pharmacology; Calcium antagonists; Verapamil; Model epilepsies; Carbamazepine; Affective psychoses
• ISSN: 0924-977X; 1873-7862
• DOI: 10.1016/0924-977X(92)90009-W

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is used in neurology for the treatment of epilepsies and trigeminal neuralgia and in psychiatry for the prophylactic treatment of affective and schizoaffective psychoses. Since a common mechanism of epilepsies and affective psychoses might be increased intracelllular calcium ion levels, CBZ action was analyzed in penicillin, caffeine and low Mg 2+ induced model epilepsies which have been shown to be suppressed specifically by organic calcium antagonists. In CA3 and CA1 areas of hippocampal slice preparations of guinea pigs CBZ reduced paroxysmal depolarizations and extracellular field potentials (EFP) in a typical time and concentration dependent manner as it is known from calcium antagonists. Furthermore, subthreshold concentrations of the organic calcium antagonist verapamil intensified the action of CBZ. NMDA induced increases of the discharge rate of EFP were, however, unaffected by CBZ.