Slow And Fast Kindling During Hyperthermic Stimulation In Rats : Implications For Hot Water Epilepsy

Abstract

Hot water epilepsy, a reflex epilepsy precipitated by hot water stimulation, has been commonly reported from southern India. Clinical studies have indicated that a phenomenon of hyperthermic kindling may underlie the appearance of spontaneous seizures in some hot water epilepsy patients at a later stage. Our present experiments with a rat model for hot water epilepsy demonstrate the occurrence of slow and fast kindling during hyperthermic seizures, induced by repeated stimulations with hot water, in different populations of rats. These findings have important implications for the pathophysiology and management of this epileptic syndrome in human beings.