Behavior in the open field test was compared in rats of two strains differing in terms of the manifestation of convulsions in response to sound (audiogenic epilepsy (AE)). These strains (“4” and “0”) were bred on the basis of a single hybrid population. Testing was performed before a series of exposures to sound (21 days) and after exposure. During sequential presentations of sounds, rats of strain “4” formed myoclonic convulsions, while “0” rats had no AE and, thus, no myoclonic convulsions. In the initial test, the level of locomotion and exploratory activity were greater in “4” rats than in “0” rats. In the second test, “4” rats showed significant changes in many behavioral parameters reflecting general suppression of exploratory activity and locomotion. Rats of strain “0” exposed to sound (but not displaying signs of AE) showed more active behavior in the second test than the first, reflecting acclimation of the animals to the experimental context, though changes in a number of indicators in the second test provided evidence of the complex nature of changes in anxiety levels in these animals (as a result of serial exposure to loud sounds). The similar genetic backgrounds of the two rat strains contrasting in terms of AE leads to the conclusion that changes in the behavior of “4” rats resulted from induction of a series of the epileptiform phenomena of AE. This pair of strains may provide a clear genetic model of convulsive states providing for reliable assessment of the effects of both external actions and pharmacological agents.
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Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel’nosti imeni I. P. Pavlova, Vol. 71, No. 2, pp. 279–285, March–April, 2021.
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Surina, N.M., Nikolaev, G.M., Poletaeva, I.I. et al. Behavior of Rats of Two Strains Contrasting in Terms of “Audiogenic Epilepsy”. Neurosci Behav Physi 51, 1268–1272 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-021-01189-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-021-01189-w