Pharmacologic Substance
levetiracetam
[ lee-veh-ty-ra-seh-tam ]
Brand Names:
Elepsia; Keppra; Roweepra; Spritam
Effect:
Unknown Physiological Effect
May Treat:
Epilepsies, Partial;
Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic;
Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile
More Information:
Definitions related to levetiracetam:
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A drug used to treat seizures (involuntary muscle movements) caused by epilepsy (a group of brain disorders). Keppra is being studied in the treatment of seizures in patients with cancer that has spread to the brain. It is a type of anticonvulsant.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A pyrrolidine with antiepileptic activity. The exact mechanism through which levetiracetam exerts its effects is unknown but does not involve inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitter activity. Stereoselective binding of levetiracetam was confined to synaptic plasma membranes in the central nervous system with no binding occurring in peripheral tissue. Levetiracetam inhibits burst firing without affecting normal neuronal excitability, which suggests that it may selectively prevent hyper-synchronization of epileptiform burst firing and propagation of seizure activity.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A pyrrolidinone and acetamide derivative that is used primarily for the treatment of SEIZURES and some movement disorders, and as a nootropic agent.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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