The Effects Of Zinc Supplementation On The Blood-brain Barrier Permeability

[TreasureVibe]

Zinc supplements can cause convulsions in rats, and increased permeability of the blood brain barrier.

The effects of zinc treatment on the blood-brain barrier permeability and brain element levels during convulsions. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[Stefan]

Godamnit.

 

[TreasureVibe]

Godamnit.

2 months of Zinc Chloride in the drinking water or Zinc (undisclosed what type, probably Zinc Chloride as well) with pentylenetetrazole caused it in rats.

 

[agnostic]

I don't think that zinc has pro-convulsive properties if used in the right form and dose. In fact, there's a small randomized controlled trial demonstrating that 1 mg zinc per kg body weight reduces seizure frequency in children with intractable epilepsy.

Funct Neurol. 2015 Jul-Sep;30(3):181-5.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the efficacy of treatment with zinc in children with intractable epilepsy.
Saad K, El-Houfey AA, Abd El-Hamed MA, El-Asheer OM, Al-Atram AA, Tawfeek MS.
Abstract
This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of oral zinc supplementation in children with intractable epilepsy. Forty-five children aged between three and 12 years and diagnosed with idiopathic intractable epilepsy at Assiut University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt were recruited. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups: the intervention group received oral zinc supplementation (1 mg/kg/day) while the placebo group received placebo, each for six months. The parents of each child filled in a detailed questionnaire that covered demographic characteristics, type of seizures, frequency, duration of seizures, previous hospital admissions, postictal phenomena and the occurrence of status epilepticus. The primary outcome (frequency of seizures) was compared between the two groups. Zinc supplementation resulted in a significant reduction of seizure frequency in 31% of the treated children. Zinc is an important trace element. Our results suggest that it has mildly beneficial effects in children with intractable epilepsy. We recommend further investigation of oral zinc supplementation as an adjunctive therapy for managing intractable epilepsy in children. Zinc therapy may be an option in treatment protocols for intractable epilepsyin the near future.

PMID:

26415035

PMCID:

PMC4610753