CORRELATION BETWEEN EXTRACELLULAR GLUCOSE CONCENTRATION AND SEIZURE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN IMMATURE AND ADULT RATS
Abstract number :
1.068
Submission category :
Year :
2002
Submission ID :
3398
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/7/2002 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2002, 06:00 AM
Authors :
Evan M. Schwechter, Libor Velisek. Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY; Brandeis University, Waltham, MA; Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY; Einstein/Montefiore Epilepsy Management Center, Albert Einstein C
RATIONALE: In diabetic patients, periods of severe hypoglycemia may be associated with seizures. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between seizure susceptibility and extracellular glucose concentration in immature and adult rats.
METHODS: Adult male rats were injected with 2 doses of streptozocin (40 mg/kg ip) in two consecutive days, controls received either vehicle or were not injected. After two weeks, blood glucose concentration was measured and the rats were challenged with the volatile convulsant flurothyl. Immature rats received either two or three doses of streptozocin (40 mg/kg) on postnatal days (PN) 9, 10 or 9-11, respectively, and were subjected to flurothyl testing on PN15. Thresholds for flurothyl-induced clonic and tonic-clonic seizures were determined.
RESULTS: In adult rats, low glucose concentrations were associated with high seizure thresholds (decreased seizure susceptibility) and high glucose concentrations with low seizure thresholds (increased seizure susceptibility) in both clonic (P=0.0007) and tonic-clonic (P=0.009) flurothyl seizures. In contrast in PN 15 rats, low blood glucose concentrations were associated with low seizure thresholds (increased seizure susceptibility) for clonic (P=0.031) and tonic-clonic (0.035) seizures.
CONCLUSIONS: Data indicate that in the immature brain, low glucose concentrations may be associated with proconvulsant effects rendering thus juvenile diabetic patients more susceptible to develop seizures during periods of hypoglycemia.
[Supported by: Heffer Family Medical Foundation, NS-20253 from NINDS, and CURE Foundation.]