gabapentin

n. a drug used for the treatment of seizures (see anticonvulsant) and for the relief of pain associated with shingles (see herpetic neuralgia). Its mechanism of action is unknown: It is a chemical analog of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that is a potent ligand at alpha 2 delta sites on voltage-gated N and P/Q channels. Gabapentin is currently being investigated for the treatment of certain other disorders, including restless legs syndrome, anxiety disorders, and fibromyalgia, but it is largely discredited as a mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder. Side effects are primarily sedation, dizziness, ataxia, and fatigue; abrupt withdrawal may precipitate seizures. U.S. trade name: Neurontin.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

December 23rd 2024

scientific explanation

an account of an event, behavior, or thought that is couched in terms of an established set of scientific principles, facts, and assumptions. Typical forms of explanation may be reductionistic, analyzing a phenomenon into components and describing how they combine to produce the phenomenon; ontogenic, relating the phenomenon to a universal set of developmental stages; empiricistic, describing a phenomenon in terms of the conditions that have been observed to produce it; or metaphoric or categorical, identifying a phenomenon as similar in some important respects to other phenomena already understood. Such an explanation stated systematically is generally known as a theory.