Lead intoxication and the amygdaloid kindling model of epileptogenesis in the adult rat.
The influence of lead intoxication on the seizure state produced by amygdaloid kindling was studied in rats. Exposure to 1% lead (in the form of lead acetate) in drinking water for periods up to 4 weeks led to significant increases in lead content in the blood and various brain regions. Signs of lead intoxication, including behavioral depression, loss of body weight and decreased hematocrit were produced by this treatment regime. The intensity and nature of behavioral convulsions as well as the rate of development of amygdaloid kindled seizures did not appear to be affected by lead intoxication. However, lead exposure during kindling led to significant increases in an electrographic aspect of the seizure, i.e., the afterdischarge duration. Although pair-fed controls were not utilized and therefore definitive conclusions cannot be made, our data would seem to indicate that lead intoxication has a relatively minor ability to potentiate amygdaloid kindling in adult rats.
D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology*
D007854:Lead