Question

Anticonvulsant drug used as a selective molecular target

• A. Vigabatrin
• B. Gabapentin
• C. Lamotrigine
• D. Tiagabine

Hint:

Drugs targeting voltage-gated ion channels are commonly used in epilepsy. Lamotrigine is especially important due to its dual action in seizure control and bipolar disorder.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The question is testing which anticonvulsant has a sharply defined molecular target rather than a general effect spread across brain chemistry.

1. Vigabatrin: Broadly raises GABA levels by blocking its breakdown enzyme, a diffuse rather than narrowly selective action.
2. Gabapentin: Attaches to a calcium channel subunit, but how this translates into its clinical effect is not as sharply defined as a classic selective target.
3. Lamotrigine: Selectively locks onto voltage-gated sodium channels only in neurons firing abnormally fast, blocking that runaway firing without disturbing normal nerve signaling elsewhere. This precision is what makes it the standard example of selective molecular targeting among anticonvulsants.
4. Tiagabine: Blocks GABA reuptake generally, again a broad rather than a narrowly selective action.

Lamotrigine stands out for hitting one specific channel state on overactive neurons.

So the correct answer is Lamotrigine.