Isolated seizures in rats do not cause neuronal injury

Acosta MT, Munashinge J, Zhang L, Guerron DA, Vortmeyer A, Theodore WH. Isolated seizures in rats do not cause neuronal injury.
Acta Neurol Scand: 2012: 125: 30–37.
Published 2011. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Background – Previous studies have shown that status epilepticus can lead to neuronal injury. However, the effect of a small number of isolated seizures is uncertain. Methods – We used structural MRI and neuropathology to study the effects of isolated seizures induced by kainic acid (KA), (RS)‐2‐amino‐3‐(3‐hydroxy‐5‐tert‐butylisoxazole‐4‐yl)propanoic acid (ATPA), and α‐amino‐3‐hydroxyl‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole‐propionate in rats. A group of animals received normal saline. After seizure induction, animals were followed for 12 weeks. Results – ATPA and KA led to small but significant increases in ADC. There were no changes in T2 signal intensity or hippocampal volume. Blinded pathological examination showed no differences between animals receiving saline or glutamatergic agents. Conclusion – Our study suggests that isolated seizures cause minimal neuronal injury in rats.