Chemical concomitants of convulsive activity in the cerebrum

Abstract

Certain chemical changes in the brain appear to be characteristic of intense convulsive activity, being found in seizures induced by a variety of convulsants. Other changes are specific for the type of convulsing agent used; hence, it is possible to classify seizures in accordance with chemical patterns, each type showing its own characteristic chemical changes, although the electrographic patterns of the various types may be indistinguishable. A tentative classification on this basis is outlined for seizures induced by pharmacologic agents. Pertinent data on seizures induced by picrotoxin, pentylenetetrazol, methyl fluoroacetate, and methyl fluorobutyrate are presented. These data have been obtained by analysis of dog cerebral tissue frozen in situ.