Effects of diazepam and diphenylhydantoin on elicited and spontaneous seizures in kindled rats: a double dissociation.

Diazepam (1 mg/kg) was more effective than diphenylhydantoin (100 mg/kg) in suppressing motor seizures elicited in kindled rats by amygdaloid stimulation; however, the effect of these drugs on the incidence of spontaneous motor seizures in rats kindled by amygdaloid stimulation was just the opposite. At the same doses, diphenylhydantoin effectively suppressed spontaneous motor seizures, but diazepam did not. This double dissociation suggests the need for caution in drawing inferences concerning spontaneously recurring seizures from studies of elicited seizures.