Diurnal rhythms of spontaneous recurrent seizures and behavioral alterations of Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats in the kainate model of epilepsy.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can coexist with epilepsy. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) are considered to model ADHD with overactivity, impulsiveness, deficient sustained attention, and alterations in circadian autonomic profiles. The present study explored spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRSs) and behavioral diurnal activity rhythms in normotensive Wistar rats and SHRs in the kainate model of epilepsy. Rats were video monitored (24 h/3 months) to detect SRSs. SHRs manifested a lower seizure frequency during the light phase in the 8th and 10th weeks and a lower frequency of SRSs during the night phase accompanied by attenuated responses in hyperexcitability tests. Both epileptic strains were hyperactive, with lower anxiety levels, and their diurnal rhythms were abolished. Epileptic Wistar rats and SHRs exhibited less exploration during the dark phase. This study suggests that SHRs may be useful in modeling some aspects (particularly hypertension-related diurnal rhythm disturbance) of behavior associated with epilepsy.
Tchekalarova
Jane
J
Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria. jane_tch@yahoo.com
Pechlivanova
Daniela
D
Itzev
Dimitar
D
Lazarov
Nikolai
N
Markova
Petya
P
Stoynev
Alexander
A
D000221:Adaptation, Ocular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000209:etiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012008:Recurrence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology
D007608:Kainic Acid