Nerve agent-induced seizures and their pharmacological modulation

Intoxication with nerve agents produces prolonged central nervous system seizures (status epilepticus) that can produce irreversible brain pathology (15). This report summarizes our recent findings regarding the neurotransmitter changes that occur in discrete brain regions as a function of seizure duration and the differential effectiveness of anticholinergic, benzodiazepine and excitatory amino acid (EAA) antagonist drugs in terminating soman-induced seizures when given at different times after seizure onset. These results are discussed in relation to a model we have proposed to explain the sequence of electrophysiological, biochemical and neurochemical events and mechanisms controlling nerve agent-induced seizures.