<p>Perampanel is a non-competitive antagonist of the ionotropic &alpha;-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) glutamate receptor on post-synaptic neurons. Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and is implicated in a number of neurological disorders caused by neuronal over excitation. The precise mechanism by which Perampanel exerts its antiepileptic effects in humans is unknown.</p>