Turning bias in Morris water maze as an index of susceptibility to chemical kindling in male but not in female rats

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological condition marked by recurring seizures. Additionally, individuals affected by this disorder may experience cognitive deficits, as well as difficulties with learning and memory. Rodents generally exhibit rotational bias associated with asymmetry in the striatum. The role of the striatum in the genesis of different types of seizures has been mainly addressed in animal models. In this study, the correlation between rotational bias of animals in the Morris Water Maze (MWM) and seizure parameters in a chemical kindling model has been studied in male and female rats.
Materials and Methods: Animals were trained in the Morris Water Maze for four trials per day for 4 days. We measured the left and right turning of the animals that were placed into the water facing the pool wall at the moment of entry into the maze. Forty-eight hours after learning in the Morris Water Maze, animals were kindled by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 37.5 mg/kg, i.p) injections, repeated every 48 hours for 12 days. Finally, the relationship between seizure parameters and left and right turning bias of animals in MWM was analyzed.
Results: The results showed a significant association between turning bias and susceptibility to PTZ kindling in males but not in female rats. Male rats with a left turning bias had higher resistance to seizure induction and lower resistance to seizure propagation compared to right-turning rats.
Conclusion: The results suggest that susceptibility to seizures induced by PTZ kindling could be anticipated by rotational bias in males, but not in female rats.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Basic and Clinical Pathophysiology
Volume 13, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
February 2025
Pages 15-20

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