Zonisamide

Calcium Channel|||Sodium Channel|||Carbonic Anhydrase

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Zonisamide (AD 810), a sulfonamide anticonvulsant, is approved for use as an adjunctive treatment in adults with partial-onset seizures. It may inhibit a carbonic anhydrase although this is not one of the main mechanisms of action. Zonisamide may act by blocking repetitive firing of voltage-gated sodium channels results in a reduction of T-type calcium channel currents, or by binding allosterically to GABA receptors. This latter action may lower the uptake of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA while increasing the uptake of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate.

Zonisamide is a sulfonamide anticonvulsant approved for use as an adjunctive therapy in adults with partial-onset seizures. Zonisamide may be a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor although this is not one of the primary mechanisms of action. Zonisamide may act by blocking repetitive firing of voltage-gated sodium channels leading to a reduction of T-type calcium channel currents, or by binding allosterically to GABA receptors. This latter action may inhibit the uptake of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA while enhancing the uptake of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate.