Rapid changes in brain benzodiazepine receptors after experimental seizures.

Seizures induced in the rat by electroshock or by injections of pentylenetetrazol increase the specific binding of diazepam to putative receptor sites in cerebral cortical membranes. The enhancement of diazepam binding results from a rapid increase in the number of available binding sites rather than a change in receptor affinity. The postictal increase in cortical benzodiazepine receptors suggests that the cerebral cortex might be more sensitive to the anticonvulsant effects of the benzodiazepines after seizures. This observation may be related to the mechanism of action of these drugs in the treatment of recurrent seizures such as status epilepticus.