We tested the relation between a single short tonic-clonic seizure elicited by flurothyl vapors and changes of learning in Morris water maze (MWM) in Wistar rats. Oxidative stress usually accompanies seizures. Large melatonin doses were applied immediately before and after seizures to test consequences on learning impairment. One hour of hypobaric hypoxia (8000 m) three days prior to the seizure served as an activator of intrinsic antioxidant systems. Learning in MWM (7 days) started 24 h after seizures. Following seizures, latencies in MWM were longer than in controls and were shortened by hypoxia and preventive melatonin application. Melatonin was also applied before hypoxia to influence free radical (FR) production and intrinsic antioxidant activation. Some behavioral characteristics were changed and preconditioning effect of hypoxia was reduced. Melatonin after seizure (150 s and 6 h) had negligible effect. Results allow us to hypothesize about the role of FR and the beneficial effect of melatonin on the behavioral consequences of seizures.

• MeSH
• Analysis of Variance MeSH
• Antioxidants therapeutic use   MeSH
• Automatism etiology   prevention & control   MeSH
• Maze Learning drug effects   MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Flurothyl toxicity   MeSH
• Blood-Brain Barrier drug effects   physiopathology   MeSH
• Hypoxia complications   MeSH
• Convulsants toxicity   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Melatonin therapeutic use   MeSH
• Disease Models, Animal MeSH
• Learning Disabilities etiology   prevention & control   MeSH
• Reaction Time drug effects   MeSH
• Seizures chemically induced   complications   pathology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Antioxidants MeSH
• Flurothyl MeSH
• Convulsants MeSH
• Melatonin MeSH

We analyzed peri-ictal bed leaving (PBL) symptoms in 105 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). All patients were classified as Engel I at the 2-year follow-up visit. Histopathological examination revealed hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) in 64 patients and other lesions in 38 patients (TLE-other); 3 patients had no lesions. We reviewed 412 seizures. PBL was defined as lateralized leaving of the bed occurring during the seizure or up to 3 minutes after the end of the seizure. PBL was observed in 28 of 105 patients (26.7%), and in 45 of 412 seizures (10.9%). PBL occurred more frequently in patients with TLE-HS than in patients with TLE-other (32.8% vs 17.1%, P=0.058). PBL was ipsilateral to the seizure onset in 71.4% of patients and 71.2% of seizures (P=0.012 and P<0.001). In patients with TLE-HS, PBL was ipsilateral to seizure onset in 76.2% of patients and 81.2% of seizures (P=0.008 and P<0.001). In patients with TLE-other, PBL was ipsilateral to seizure onset in 42.8% of patients and 46.1% of seizures. There were no differences in the incidence and lateralizing value between patients with right-sided and those with left-sided TLE. PBL is a relatively frequent peri-ictal sign in patients with TLE. The side of PBL in patients with TLE-HS lateralizes the seizure onset to the ipsilateral temporal lobe.

• MeSH
• Video Recording MeSH
• Automatism epidemiology   etiology   MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe epidemiology   physiopathology   MeSH
• Functional Laterality physiology   MeSH
• Incidence MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Longitudinal Studies MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

We retrospectively investigated rare peri-ictal vegetative symptoms (PIVS) in 380 seizures of 97 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE): 234 seizures of 60 patients with TLE with mesiotemporal sclerosis (TLE/MTS) and 146 seizures of 37 patients with TLE with other lesions (TLE/non-MTS) who were at least 2 years after epilepsy surgery and classified as Engel I. We assessed the following PIVS: peri-ictal cough (pC), peri-ictal water drinking (pWD), peri-ictal vomiting (pV), and peri-ictal spitting (pS). We observed pC in 24.7% of patients and 10% of seizures; pWD in 14.4% of patients and 5.9% of seizures; pV and pS occurred more rarely. Both pWD and pC occurred significantly more often in those with TLE of the non- language-dominant hemisphere. The limited occurrence of pV and pS made it impossible to perform statistical analysis for these symptoms. In patients with TLE, pC and pWD were quite frequent; we observed pV and pS less frequently. Both pC and pWD have a significant lateralizing value in TLE.

• MeSH
• Automatism etiology   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe complications   MeSH
• Functional Laterality physiology   MeSH
• Cough etiology   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Longitudinal Studies MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Drinking physiology   MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Seizures complications   MeSH
• Vomiting etiology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Nearly all epileptic seizures in patients are characterized by deranged consciousness. We started to study changes in motivated behavior (drinking in thirsty rats) as a possible analogue of compromised consciousness during and after epileptic seizures. Epileptic afterdischarges (ADs) were elicited by stimulation of the dorsal hippocampus and/or thalamus. Rats with implanted electrodes (deprived of water for 24 hours) were trained to lick water from a narrow tube. After pretraining ADs were elicited eight times in each animal and access to water was allowed during different phases of the AD. Stimulation did not affect licking if no AD was induced. If stimulation was successful, licking was stopped in nearly 70 % of stimulations and modified (biting the tube) in 30 %. Hippocampal ADs (characterized by serrated waves in the EEG and by an arrest of behavior with subsequent automatisms) completely blocked licking, signs of recovery appeared during the interval between the AD and recurrent AD and it progressed during recurrent ADs. Thalamic ADs abolished licking in 82% of cases and immediately after ADs normal licking reappeared in 49 % of these observations. Our results suggest that changes in motivated behavior might serve as an analogue of compromised human consciousness.

• MeSH
• Automatism etiology   MeSH
• Behavior, Animal * MeSH
• Electric Stimulation MeSH
• Electroencephalography MeSH
• Epilepsy complications   physiopathology   psychology   MeSH
• Hippocampus physiopathology   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Motivation * MeSH
• Drinking MeSH
• Rats, Wistar MeSH
• Thalamus physiopathology   MeSH
• Thirst MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Kainic acid (KA 4-14 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) produces automatisms (scratching until third postnatal week, "wet dog" shakes thereafter), and clonic and tonic-clonic seizures in rats aged 7, 12, 18, 25, and 90 days. Administration of carbamazepine (CBZ) i.p. (25 or 50 mg/kg), phenobarbital (PB 20-80 mg/kg), clonazepam (CZP 0.2 or 1 mg/kg), or valproate (VPA 200 mg/kg) influenced neither incidence nor latency of automatisms. Clonic seizures that are regularly observed after the third postnatal week in controls were either abolished or substantially suppressed by any of the aforementioned antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Tonic-clonic seizures observed in the first 3 postnatal weeks were suppressed only by solvent [including propyleneglycol (PEG), ethanol, and water]; the effect of AEDs on tonic-clonic seizures was proconvulsant instead. The automatisms were most resistant to AED therapy. These results induce some doubts about the adequacy of the KA model for identifying AEDs effective against complex partial seizures, but forthcoming AEDs that suppress automatisms in the KA rat model might also be active against human complex partial seizures.

• MeSH
• Anticonvulsants pharmacology   MeSH
• Automatism prevention & control   MeSH
• Behavior, Animal drug effects   MeSH
• Epilepsy, Complex Partial prevention & control   MeSH
• Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe prevention & control   MeSH
• Phenobarbital pharmacology   MeSH
• Injections, Intraperitoneal MeSH
• Carbamazepine pharmacology   MeSH
• Clonazepam pharmacology   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Kainic Acid * administration & dosage   MeSH
• Valproic Acid pharmacology   MeSH
• Disease Models, Animal MeSH
• Animals, Newborn growth & development   MeSH
• Rats, Wistar MeSH
• Seizures chemically induced   prevention & control   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Anticonvulsants MeSH
• Phenobarbital MeSH
• Carbamazepine MeSH
• Clonazepam MeSH
• Kainic Acid * MeSH
• Valproic Acid MeSH

The influence of phenobarbital (PHB, 10, 20, 40 or 80 mg/kg i.p.) and primidone (PRI, 40 or 80 mg/kg i.p.) on metrazol-induced motor seizures was studied in rats 7, 12, 15, 18, 25 and 90 days old. PHB blocked both types of seizures induced by metrazol-minimal (mMS) as well as generalized tonic-clonic (MMS)--in all age groups where they appeared under control conditions. The effect against major seizures was always better expressed than against mMS. Pretreatment with PHB led to the appearance of mMS in 7- and 12-day-old rat pups, where control animals did not exhibit this type of seizure. Combined administration of the 2 high doses of PHB and metrazol resulted in the appearance of behavioral automatisms in young rats. PRI abolished MMS in adult rats only, no changes were seen in 25-day-old animals and specific suppression of the tonic phase of MMS was observed in younger rats. mMS were influenced only in 7- and 12-day-old rats, where an increase in their incidence was recorded. Pretreatment with PRI never induced automatisms. The different actions of PHB and PRI speak in favor of an anticonvulsant action of PRI itself.

• MeSH
• Automatism chemically induced   MeSH
• Phenobarbital pharmacology   MeSH
• Rats, Inbred Strains MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Morphogenesis drug effects   MeSH
• Pentylenetetrazole MeSH
• Primidone pharmacology   MeSH
• Prohibitins MeSH
• Seizures chemically induced   drug therapy   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Comparative Study MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Phenobarbital MeSH
• Pentylenetetrazole MeSH
• Phb protein, rat MeSH Browser
• Primidone MeSH
• Prohibitins MeSH

• Keywords
• CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM/physiology *,
• MeSH
• Automatism * MeSH
• Central Nervous System physiology   MeSH
• Guinea Pigs MeSH
• Nervous System Physiological Phenomena * MeSH
• Nervous System * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Guinea Pigs MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH