title: Is there a relationship between rat latent aggressiveness and susceptibility to convulsive crises?
abstract: Experiments were aimed at assessing a possible different sensitiveness to seizures in aggressive vs. nonaggressive rates. Thirty-nine muricidal rats were selected by using a sedated mouse. Six of these killer rats (K) showed electroencephalographic (EEG) spontaneous syncronous wave-and-spike discharges, 6-11 c/s. None of nonkiller animals (NK) showed a similar pattern. These 6 K were not used for the subsequent experiments. Intraperitoneal pentylentetrazole (PTZ; 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) or bicuculline (BIC; 2 and 4 mg/kg) was given to both NK and K. K were more sensitive than NK to the epileptogenic effects of 20 mg/kg PTZ and 2 mg/kg BIC, as revealed by the significant increased number of convulsive rats and longer duration of EEG seizures. No difference in EEG or convulsant behavior was observed between K and NK after the administration of the lower dose of PTZ and the high dose of PTZ or BIC. The use of K rats as a possible new sensitive model of petit mal is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Menarini Ricerche Sid, Pharmacology Dept., Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cutrufo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Borsini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Troccoli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meli
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D018756:GABA Antagonists; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D001640:Bicuculline