Effects of gamma-acetylenic GABA and gamma-vinyl GABA on metrazol-activated, and kindled seizures.

Pretreatment of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with a single dose of gamma-vinyl GABA (GVG) (1200 mg/kg, IP) or gamma-acetylenic GABA (GAG) (100 mg/kg, IP) did not affect the threshold of metrazol-activated generalized seizures, but increased their duration to the point of status epilepticus. In rats with epilepsy kindled by amygdaloid stimulation, a single dose of GVG (800 mg/kg, IP) and five subsequent daily administrations of GAG (80 mg/kg, IP) tended to reduce the motor manifestations of seizures leaving unaffected their electrographic pattern. The effects of GVG and GAG are attributed in part to decreased arousal. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.