DIETARY IRON AND EXPOSURE TO LEAD INFLUENCE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SEIZURES

Previous work in this laboratory showed that concurrent consumption of an iron-deficient diet and exposure to lead caused seizure activity i n Albany heterogeneous (HET) stock mice. In the present investigation, 26 Albany HET mice (ages 35 to 57 days of age) ate either an American Institute of Nutrition approved iron-sufficient (30 ppm) diet or an i ron-deficient (less than 3 ppm) diet and drank either a 0.5% lead solu tion or distilled water for 12 weeks. We measured several activities i n an open-field, hole-board apparatus, and spontaneous seizures which occurred during testing, changes in body weight, and hemoglobin levels . Replicating previous findings, mice fed the iron-deficient diet and treated with lead had more seizures with longer durations and longer p ostical periods than animals given the iron-sufficient diet but also t reated with lead. Mice not exposed to lead did not seize. Both lead-tr eated groups had lower rates of body-weight gain over the 3-mo. period and lower hemoglobin values than nonlead-treated animals. Changes in activity were observed in the open field as a function of diet and exp osure to lead.