Pulmonary changes with convulsions induced by drugs and oxygen at high pressure.

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Abstract
In a study of the pulmonary involvement associated with epileptiform convulsions in rats it was found that convulsants, Metrazol, picrotoxin, W181, and PTAP induced pulmonary changes similar to those induced by O2 at high pressure; anesthesia, which prevented convulsions, also prevented the pulmonary damage, whereas sympatholytic and antiepinephrine agents (SKF501, Thorazine, Dibenamine) prevented pulmonary damage but not the somatic component (skeletal muscular reaction) of severe chemically induced convulsions. Curarization which reportedly leaves the sym-pathetics still functional, prevented or greatly reduced the somatic component of the convulsion but did not prevent the pulmonary damage wnich thus apparently represents an effect of the autonomic component of the seizure. The data support the interpretation that pulmonary damage associated with severe generalized seizures induced by chemical convulsants as well as by OHP is due in large part to neuroendo-crinogenic factors in the autonomic component of the seizure. The possibility of other contributory factors is not denied but hemodynamic changes which may attend the somatic component of the seizure are apparently not essential to the causation of this pulmonary damage.