Toxic Bermuda grass tremor in the goat: an electroencephalographic study

Tremorgenic Bermuda grass hay harvested during the 1971 Louisiana outbreak of toxicosis and kept in cold storage until 1979 was fed to a female Nubian cross goat. Cortical EEG from chronically implanted screw electrodes was recorded daily during hay consumption. Typical clinical signs of toxicosis were manifested as ataxia on day 8 and tremor on day 11. Motor activity returned to normal 2 days after reinstitution of nontoxic Bermuda grass hay. Changes in EEG amplitudes, frequency content, or wave-forms were not seen during the development or after the appearance of toxicosis. The administration of diazepam at the height of toxicosis suppressed the tremor for several hours.