GABA agonists and gabapentin for spastic hypertonia

Abstract

Spasticity is a result of an imbalance between the afferent excitatory and descending inhibitory pathways after central nervous system damage. Its pharmacologic control is believed to result from the agonism of inhibitory mechanisms (gamma-aminobutyric acid [GABA] or glycine-mediated antagonism of excitatory mechanisms), or both. Because GABA receptor sites are widely present in the central nervous system, it is amenable to pharmacologic manipulation.