title: How significant is the difference between drug doses influencing the threshold for electroconvulsions?
abstract: In this study, three computational methods (log-probit, one-way analysis of variance and linear regression analysis) were applied to statistically determine and compare a minimal dose of the antiepileptic drug--levetiracetam (LEV), which significantly increased the threshold for maximal electroconvulsions in mice. Results analyzed with log-probit method revealed that such a dose for LEV was 50 mg/kg. In contrast, one-way ANOVA indicated that the minimal dose of LEV, fulfilling the criterion of the significant increment in the threshold for electroconvulsions, was 100 mg/kg. Moreover, linear regression analysis allowed for the determination of threshold increasing doses by 20% (TID20) and 50% (TID50) for LEV, which amounted to 44 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg. This comparative study demonstrated distinct differences between the electroconvulsive threshold-influencing doses of LEV calculated with these three methods, and only statistical evaluation of data using one-way ANOVA provided the most adequate determination of statistical significance. The application of log-probit method and linear regression analysis in the search for significant drug-dose effects should be substantially restricted to specific experimental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8, PL 20-950 Lublin, Poland. jarogniew.luszczki@am.lublin.pl
authors.forename: Jarogniew J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Łuszczki
authors.forename: Stanisław J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Czuczwar
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004597:Electroshock; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010889:Piracetam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D012640:Seizures / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam