The effect of several intertrial intervals on the 1 Hz interference effect

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of two intertrial intervals of 1-Hz brain stimulation on kindling behavior induced by 60Hz sine wave stimulation. In two experiments, the effective threshold intensity (ETI) to elicit a convulsion was determined on four separate occasions with 5 days of daily trials between determinations. On each day experimental rats were stimulated with 1-Hz current on the first and third trials for 120 seconds duration and with 60-Hz current for 30 seconds on the second trial (1-60-1 group). A second group was stimulated with 60-Hz-current on each trial (60-60-60 group). A third group received no stimulation on Trials 1 and 3 and 60-Hz current on Trial 2 (X-60-X group). In Experiment 1, the intertrial interval was 3 hours; a 24 hour interval was used in Experiment 2. The results were similar in both experiments. For the 1-60-1 group, there was a steady increase in the intensity required to elicit a convulsion shown with 60-Hz current from EtI1 to ETI4. However, the 24 hour interval produced a lesser effect than did 3 hour interval (or the 1 hour interval used in previous experiments). Rats in the other groups maintained relatively stable values from ETI1 to ETI1, with a slight decline occurring. Suppression of convulsive behaviour on daily trials was present with the 1-60-1 groups, and nonexistent with the other groups.