Limited Exposure to Social Isolation does not Affect the Spike Frequency and Amplitude of Penicillin-induced Epileptiform Activity in Adolescent Rats

Abstract

Objective: It is known that the stress experienced during this period increases the risk of seizures. This study, it was investigated the effect of limited social isolation (SI) stress experienced in early life on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity. Methods: Wistar Albino male rats (n=21) 28 days postpartum (PND21) were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=7); control group (C), SI group for 28 day (SI28), SI group for 14 days (SI14). SI stress was established by keeping rats in cages alone for 6 hours per day. Following the experimental protocol, rats were anesthetized with urethane (1.25 g/kg). The epileptiform activity was induced with Penicillin-G (500 IU, i.c.) and ECoG was recorded for 3 hours. Results: SI stress was no effect on the spike frequency and amplitude of penicillin-induced epileptiform activity. There was no difference in penicillin-induced epileptiform activity whether the SI was 14 or 28 days. Conclusion: SI stress per day for 6 hours was no effect on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity early in life. After the rats were exposed to SI stress for 6 hours a day, housing in a standard cage may have reduced or eliminated the effects of isolation providing social interaction. In order to better interpret this finding, we suggest that possible changes with different durations of SI should be investigated with further studies.

Keywords

• social isolation
• stress
• epilepsy
• penicillin