Pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in rats: an ontogenetic study.
A quantitative description of motor seizures induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, metrazol) was performed. Seizures were induced by PTZ in doses from 40 to 120 mg/kg s.c. in 477 male albino rats of the Wistar strain 7 to 90 days old. Two patterns of seizures were elicited: minimal, i.e. predominantly clonic seizures of facial and forelimb muscles with preserved righting ability, and major, i.e. generalized tonic-clonic seizures with a loss of righting reflex. Minimal seizures could be reliably elicited since the age of 18 days; the CD50 for these seizures did not significantly differ with age. Major seizures were elicited regularly at all developmental stages studied. Their CD50 did not significantly differ among 7-, 12- and 25-day-old rat pups but the value for 18-day-old rats was smaller and for adult animals larger than these three age groups.
Velisek
L
L
Institute of Physiology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague.
Kubova
H
H
Pohl
M
M
Stankova
L
L
Mares
P
P
Schickerova
R
R
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*
D010433:Pentylenetetrazole