title: Time course evaluation of behavioral impairments in the pilocarpine model of epilepsy.
abstract: Epilepsy is a brain function disorder characterized by unpredictable and recurrent seizures. The majority of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which is the most common type of epilepsy, have to live not only with seizures but also with behavioral alterations, including anxiety, psychosis, depression, and impaired cognitive functioning. The pilocarpine model has been recognized as an animal model of TLE. However, there are few studies addressing behavioral alterations in the maturation phase when evaluating the time course of the epileptogenic process after pilocarpine administration. Therefore, the present work was designed to analyze the neurobehavioral impairments of male adult Wistar rats during maturation and chronic phases in the pilocarpine model of epilepsy. Behavioral tests included: open-field tasks, olfactory discrimination, social recognition, elevated plus maze, and the forced swimming test. The main behavioral alterations observed in both maturation and chronic phases of the pilocarpine model were olfactory and short-term social memory deficits and decrease in the immobility time in the forced swimming test. Moreover, increased anxiety-like responses were only observed in the maturation phase. These findings indicate that early behavioral impairments can be observed in the pilocarpine model during the maturation phase, and these behavioral deficits also occur during the acquired epilepsy (chronic phase). Several of the neurobehavioral impairments that are associated with epilepsy in humans were observed in the pilocarpine-treated rats, thus, rendering this animal model a useful tool to study neuroprotective strategies as well as neurobiological and psychopathological mechanisms associated with epileptogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mark William
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Samantha Cristiane
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danúbia Bonfanti
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Filipe Marques
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências da Saúde e do Esporte - CEFID, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Mello
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Farmacologia, Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rui Daniel
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Prediger
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Departamento de Clínica Médica, Hospital Universitário (HU), Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walz
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Bioquímica, Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: rbleal@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Bainy
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Leal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010862:Pilocarpine
keywords: Behavioral impairments; Epilepsy; Pilocarpine model