Comparison of the effect of althesin with diazepam and thiopental sodium on cortical and subcortical epileptic activity in the rat.

Althesin antiparoxysmal effect was comparatively studied with diazepam and thiopental sodium on penicillin induced cortical epileptic focus and on mesencephalic reticular unitary activity triggered by cortical spikes. Althesin was shown to abolish both cortical and subcortical epileptic activity, while diazepam was able to suppress the paroxysmal unitary activity evoked from the cortical spikes at the level of the reticular mesencephalic formation, but was ineffective on focal paroxysm. Thiopental sodium exhibited behaviour similar to Althesin, but its action was weak and short lasting at both levels. A comparative study showed that Althesin had, at cortical and subcortical level, a more drastic and longer antiparoxysmal effect than the other two drugs tested. Althesin would seem to exert a potent antiepileptic effect through a double action: i) it suppresses abnormal activity at cortical focus level ii) it depresses the multineural mechanism involved in the seizure spread at subcortical level.