Confirmation of whole-brain kindling with repeated subthreshold electroconvulsive shocks: a controlled study.
BACKGROUND
Repeated, subconvulsive electroconvulsive shock (ECS) stimuli, administered a day apart, lower the ECS seizure threshold in rats. It is not known, however, whether this kindling results from the repeated subconvulsive stimulation or from the stress induced by the experimental procedures.


METHODS
Adult, male Wistar rats were randomized to receive a 3-mC ECS stimulus (n = 20), a 30-V (0.3-s) footpad shock (n = 20), or sham ECS and sham footpad shock (n = 20). All procedures were conducted once daily for 3 consecutive days. On the fourth day, all rats received a 3-mC ECS stimulus.


RESULTS
At the end of the experiment, 85% of the rats in the ECS group but only 35% of the rats in each of the other two groups had experienced a seizure with the 3-mC stimulus (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The lowering of the ECS seizure threshold by repeated, once-daily subconvulsive stimuli is caused by the subconvulsive stimulation itself, not by experimental stress.
Andrade
Chittaranjan
C
Department of Psychopharmacology and dagger Central Animal Research Facility, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India. andrade@nimhans.kar.nic.in
Akki
Ashwin
A
Nandakumar
Nagaraja
N
Chandra
J Suresh
JS
D000818:Animals; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology*