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- Title
Modulation of human motor cortex excitability by valproate.
- Authors
Zunhammer, Matthias; Langguth, Berthold; Landgrebe, Michael; Frank, Elmar; Müller, Sabine; Burger, Julia; Sand, Philipp; Eichhammer, Peter; Hajak, Göran
- Abstract
Rationale: Valproate is widely used in the treatment of epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and chronic pain disorders, but its exact mechanisms of action is still incompletely understood. Objectives: Here we used transcranial magnetic stimulation to explore effects of a single dose of 800 mg valproate on motor cortex excitability in healthy volunteers. Methods: Motor threshold, peripheral maximum M-wave, cortical silent period short intracortical inhibition, intracortical facilitation, and motor evoked potential recruitment were assessed before and 1.5 h after the administration of valproate in 15 (eight male, seven female) healthy volunteers. Results: None of the measures of cortical excitability were found to be altered significantly after valproate. Conclusion: These results are in line with previous findings of unaffected intracortical excitability after a single dose of valproate, suggesting that valproate's immediate in vivo actions do not resemble the effects of classic GABAergic compounds.
- Subjects
MOTOR cortex; VALPROIC acid; ANTICONVULSANTS; NEUROPLASTICITY; TRANSCRANIAL magnetic stimulation; GABA; EVOKED potentials (Electrophysiology)
- Publication
Psychopharmacology, 2011, Vol 215, Issue 2, p277
- ISSN
0033-3158
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00213-010-2126-y