A comparison of the ability of a 4:1 ketogenic diet and a 6.3:1 ketogenic diet to elevate seizure thresholds in adult and young rats.
OBJECTIVE
The pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) infusion test was used to compare seizure thresholds in adult and young rats fed either a 4:1 ketogenic diet (KD) or a 6.3:1 KD. We hypothesized that both KDs would significantly elevate seizure thresholds and that the 4:1 KD would serve as a better model of the KD used clinically.


METHODS
Ninety adult rats and 75 young rats were placed on one of five experimental diets: (a) a 4:1 KD, (b) a control diet balanced to the 4:1 KD, (c) a 6.3:1 KD, (d) a standard control diet, or (e) an ad libitum standard control diet. All subjects were seizure tested by using the PTZ infusion test. Blood glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB) levels were measured.


RESULTS
Neither KD elevated absolute "latencies to seizure" in young or adult rats. Similarly, neither KD elevated "threshold doses" in adult rats. In young rats, the 6.3:1 KD, but not the 4:1 KD, significantly elevated threshold doses. The 6.3:1 KD group showed poorer weight gain than the 4:1 KD group when compared with respective controls. The most dramatic discrepancies were seen in young rats.


CONCLUSIONS
"Threshold doses" and "latency to seizure" data provided conflicting measures of seizure threshold. This was likely due to the inflation of threshold doses calculated by using the much smaller body weights found in the 6.3:1 KD group. Ultimately, the PTZ infusion test in rats may not be a good preparation to model the anticonvulsant effects of the KD seen clinically, especially when dietary treatments lead to significantly mismatched body weights between the groups.
Nylen
Kirk
K
University of Toronto Epilepsy Research Program, Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. kirk.nylen@utoronto.ca
Likhodii
Sergei
S
Abdelmalik
Peter A
PA
Clarke
Jasper
J
Burnham
W McIntyre
WM
D020155:3-Hydroxybutyric Acid / Q000097:blood; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007662:Ketosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001786:Blood Glucose; D004041:Dietary Fats; D020155:3-Hydroxybutyric Acid; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole