THE EFFECTS OF NEONATAL HYPOXIA ON KINDLED SEIZURE DEVELOPMENT AND ELECTROCONVULSIVE SHOCK PROFILES

Purpose: Our previous research indicated that the exposure of rat pups to an hypoxic environment during a discrete developmental period (pos tnatal days 10-15) produces short-term seizures and confers an endurin g increase in susceptibility to pentylenetetrazol- and flurothyl-induc ed seizures. In this study, we evaluated the effects of hypoxic insult in this neonatal period on susceptibility to electrical kindling and corneal electroconvulsive shock. Methods: Ten-day-old rat pups were ex posed to a 3% O-2 environment, as previously described, and were eithe r kindled or exposed to corneal electroshock at adulthood (70 days old ). Results: Neither kindled seizure development from the septal nucleu s or amygdala nor electroconvulsive shock profiles were significantly altered by hypoxic pretreatment. Conclusions: Results indicate that hy poxia produces increases in seizure susceptibility that are observable in only some experimental seizure models but not in others. This outc ome serves to target some anatomic systems more than others in the mec hanisms involved in hypoxia-induced neural reorganization.