Association between intermale social aggression and cellular density within the central amygdaloid nucleus in rats with lithium/pilocarpine-induced seizures.
Aggressive behaviors (numbers of bites/hour) within groups (ns = 8) of normal rats and rats in which seizures had been induced by a single systemic injection of lithium/pilocarpine were observed for 11 successive, 1-hr, periods. Mean numbers of neurons and glial cells were counted for 10 different nuclei of the amygdala for 16 different brains (8 control; 8 seizure). Although there was no significant difference found between rats with chronically induced seizures and controls for the numbers of neurons per area within the central medial amygdaloid nucleus, the neuronal density was correlated significantly (.92) with mean numbers of bites per hour for the chronically epileptic group only. The hypothesis that seizure-induced damage within proximal amygdaloid nuclei disinhibits the central nucleus and encourages aggression was supported.
Desjardins
D
D
Behavioural Neuroscience Program, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Persinger
M A
MA
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced*; D012919:Social Behavior; D014149:Tranquilizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D014149:Tranquilizing Agents; D010862:Pilocarpine; D008094:Lithium