Spontaneous paroxysmal electroclinical patterns in rat: a model of generalized non-convulsive epilepsy

During quiet wakefulness of 63 adult Wistar rats, 24 exhibited synchronous paroxysmal bursts consisting of spikes and spike and wave discharges, recorded in the amygdala and frontoparietal cortex. Discharges were associated with a sudden immobility of the rat and rhythmic twitches of vibrissae or cervicofacial musculature. As soon as the phenomena stopped, the animal resumed its previous behavior. Paroxysmal electroclinical attacks could be observed as long as the animal survived. Similar electrical discharges have been observed previously in rodents by other authors and interpreted as an epileptic phenomenon. Preliminary pharmacological results confirm this interpretation and emphasize the similarity between our findings and the human petit mal epilepsy.