title: Alcohol consumption and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: experimental approach.
abstract: Using the pilocarpine model of epilepsy, we investigated the effects of alcohol consumption on the frequency of seizures in animals with epilepsy as well the underlying a possible association between alcohol intake and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) occurrence. Rats were divided randomly into two groups: (A) rats with epilepsy and (B) rats with epilepsy that received a daily dose of ethanol solution (350 mg kg(-1), i.p.) for 30 days. The basal frequency of seizures observed in the A and B groups during the first 30 days were 3.4+/-1.5 and 3.2+/-1.9 seizures per week per animal, respectively. In B group, it was observed a significant seizure increase (11.6+/-5.3) during the first 2 weeks of alcohol administration and quite interesting, one rat died suddenly after a generalized tonic-clonic seizure during this period. We concluded in our experimental study that exist a possible association between alcohol abuse and SUDEP occurrence.
authors.affiliation: Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Scorzai
authors.forename: Roberta M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cysneiros
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Arida
authors.forename: Vera C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Terra
authors.forename: Hélio R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Antonio-Carlos G
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Esper A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Cavalheiro
authors.forename: Fulvio A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Scorza
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D010862:Pilocarpine; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D010862:Pilocarpine