Improved technique for induction and monitoring of audiogenic seizure in deer mice

Epilepsy is a debilitating disease characterized by recurring seizures. Epilepsy can be studied using animal models, such as rodents prone to audiogenic seizure (AGS), which experience generalized seizures (loss of consciousness accompanied by rhythmic muscle spasms and rigid muscle stiffness) after intense sound stimulation. In 1933, a spontaneous mutation resulting in sensitivity to AGS was observed among laboratory stocks of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus artemisiae) at the University of Michigan. Since then, AGS-sensitive deer mice have been maintained as a separate stock, currently housed at the Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center. To further characterize AGS, the authors designed reliable and consistent equipment for inducing and monitoring AGS in deer mice.