Abstract: Objective： To explore the effect of lamotrigine (LTG) on the behavior and electroencephalogram (EEG) of epileptic rats induced by penicillin and to explore the protective effect of LTG on the neurons of the hippocampus. Methods： Seizures in the group of epileptic rats induced by penicillin, the group of the LTG, and the group of the sodium valproate were measured, and the EEG was recorded for the groups. Immunohistochemical staining was used to observe the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax. Results： The epileptiform discharges were decreased in the group of the LTG and the group of the sodium valproate. The latencies and durations of seizures produced a significant difference between the group of LTG and the group of sodium valproate（P＜0.01）; Compared with the epileptic group induced by penicillin, Bcl-2 positive cells increased and Bax positive cells decreased in the group of LTG and the group of sodium valproate (P＜0.01). Compared with the group of sodium valproate, Bcl-2 positive cells in the group of LTG increased (P＜0.01). Conclusions： LTG is better than sodium valproate in anti-epilepsy, and it can protect the hippocampal neurons in epileptic rats induced by penicillin.

Key words: Lamotrigine, Epilepsy, Electroencephalogram, Apoptosis