The anticonvulsant actions of carisbamate associate with alterations in astrocyte glutamine metabolism in the lithium–pilocarpine epilepsy model

As reported previously, in the lithium–pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), carisbamate (CRS) produces strong neuroprotection, leads to milder absence‐like seizures, and prevents behavioral impairments in a subpopulation of rats. To understand the metabolic basis of these effects, here we injected 90 mg/kg CRS or vehicle twice daily for 7 days starting 1 h after status epilepticus (SE) induction in rats. Two months later, we injected [1‐¹³C]glucose and [1,2‐¹³C]acetate followed by head microwave fixation after 15 min. ¹³C incorporation into metabolites was analyzed using ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We found that SE reduced neuronal mitochondrial metabolism in the absence but not in the presence of CRS. Reduction in glutamate level was prevented by CRS and aspartate levels were similar to controls only in rats displaying absence‐like seizures after treatment [CRS‐absence‐like epilepsy (ALE)]. Glutamine levels in CRS‐ALE rats were higher compared to controls in hippocampal formation and limbic structures while unchanged in rats displaying motor spontaneous recurrent seizures after treatment (CRS‐TLE). Astrocytic mitochondrial metabolism was reduced in CRS‐TLE, and either enhanced or unaffected in CRS‐ALE rats, which did not affect the transfer of glutamine from astrocytes to neurons. In conclusion, CRS prevents reduction in neuronal mitochondrial metabolism but its effect on astrocytes is likely key in determining outcome of treatment in this model.