Abstract

A model of focal seizures with automatisms is being developed on a strain of rats selected for enhanced pendulum-like movements (PM). At a definitive age, 90% of animals of the PM strain generate seizures to audiogenic stimulation. In contrast to Krushinsky–Molodkina and GEPR-9 (genetically epilepsy-prone rats) strains, populations of which demonstrate generalized seizures, PM rats generate a clonic cascade of seizures—the stereotyped jumps reaching a height of 0.5 m at a speed of one jump per second. The PM strain is a new model of epileptiform responses, and it has not actually been studied in early ontogeny. To detect prodromal symptoms of epilepsy, we set a goal to study behavioral and hormonal/metabolic characteristics of the PM model during the early neonatal period. Wistar rats, the initial strain for selection, served as a control. Prodromal symptoms experimentally detected the PM strain included such characteristics as a slowdown in locomotor activity, decreased body and testes weights, an inhibited rise in plasma cholesterol levels on days 10 and 14. PM rats showed a peak shift in circular movements and an increased manifestation of excitable responses, such as vocalizations and paroxysms. A phase change was detected in the plasma triglyceride level. Correlation analysis revealed that in male Wistar rats, the testosterone level correlates negatively with body and testes weights and positively with the blood triglyceride level. By contrast, in PM rats the same correlations were statistically insignificant. These findings indicate a destabilization of the development of morphophysiological characters in PM rats compared to the control Wistar strain. Considering the revealed prodromal symptoms characterizing enhanced pendulum-like hyperkinesis (retarded developmental rate, phase-shifted circular movements and plasma triglyceride levels, altered relationships between correlated phenotypic characters), the PM rat strain can be considered as a model for further investigating the biological basis of epileptiform pathology.

中文翻译：

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摆样运动大鼠癫痫的前驱特征

摘要

正在开发一种具有自动症的局灶性癫痫模型，该模型是针对一组选择用于增强钟摆样运动 (PM) 的大鼠进行开发的。在确定年龄时，90% 的 PM 品系动物会因听源性刺激而癫痫发作。与 Krushinsky-Molodkina 和 GEPR-9（遗传性癫痫易感大鼠）品系不同，它们的种群表现出全身性癫痫发作，PM 大鼠产生阵挛级联癫痫发作——刻板跳跃以一次跳跃的速度达到 0.5 m 的高度每秒。PM 菌株是一种新的癫痫样反应模型，实际上尚未在早期个体发育中进行研究。为了检测癫痫的前驱症状，我们设定了研究新生儿早期 PM 模型的行为和激素/代谢特征的目标。选择的初始品系 Wistar 大鼠作为对照。实验检测到 PM 菌株的前驱症状包括以下特征：运动活动减慢、体重和睾丸重量下降、第 10 天和第 14 天血浆胆固醇水平的上升受到抑制。 PM 大鼠表现出圆周运动的峰值转移和增加的表现兴奋的反应，如发声和发作。在血浆甘油三酯水平中检测到相变。相关性分析显示，在雄性 Wistar 大鼠中，睾酮水平与体重和睾丸重量呈负相关，与血液甘油三酯水平呈正相关。相比之下，在 PM 大鼠中，相同的相关性在统计上不显着。这些发现表明与对照 Wistar 品系相比，PM 大鼠的形态生理学特征的发展不稳定。