Radiation‐Controlled Focal Pharmacology in the Therapy of Experimental Epilepsy

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Abstract
Radiation-controlled focal pharmacology is a method using intermediate-dose radiation of a portion of the brain to break down the blood-brain barrier (BBB) followed by the administration of a drug which does not cross the normal BBB but which has a desired pharmacologic effect when it does cross the BBB. The drug affects only the radiated portion of the brain. Cats with alumina-Co chronic epileptic foci were given i.v. GABA with no suppression of their EEG-recorded, computer-analyzed epileptic spike frequency. When the focus received 6000 rad of Bragg peak proton radiation, there was no significant change in spike frequency. When GABA was given again, there was dramatic suppression of spike frequency, reaching a peak of 87% suppression at 9 days post-radiation. The efficacy of GABA used in radiation-controlled focal pharmacology in the 7-9 day post-radiation period was demonstrated with a confidence of P < 0.01.