Weak anticonvulsant activity of CGP 37849 and CGP 39551 against kindled seizures following systemic administration.

The anticonvulsant and behavioural actions of CGP 37849 and CGP 39551, two novel competitive NMDA receptor antagonists, were examined in fully amygdala kindled rats following systemic administration. Only weak anticonvulsant effects were observed following either i.p. or i.v. injection of the antagonists. Moreover, behavioural abnormalities (ataxia, hyperactivity, muscular hypotonia) were apparent at all anticonvulsant doses. These results suggest that CGP 37849 and CGP 39551 may be of limited therapeutic usefulness against complex partial seizures in man, the seizure type showing greatest refractoriness to presently available medication.