Spinal cord lesions block seizures or delay their onset in myelin-deficient rats: evidence that generalized tonic seizures can be triggered by abnormal spinal cord activity.
The myelin-deficient mutant rat develops generalized tonic seizures and dies during the fourth postnatal week. Surgical constriction of the lower thoracic spinal cord, performed either after the seizures have appeared or before, eliminates the seizures, or delays their onset, and prolongs the life of the animals. These observations support the view that the seizures in these animals can be triggered by abnormal activity originating in the myelin-deficient spinal cord and can be blocked by preventing that activity from ascending to higher levels. Similar seizures and "paroxysmal" phenomena occur in other myelin-deficient conditions including multiple sclerosis.
Rosenbluth
J
J
Department of Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York 10016.
Hasegawa
M
M
D000818:Animals; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*