BRAIN AND PLASMA CATIONS AND EXPERIMENTAL SEIZURES IN NORMAL AND DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE-TREATED RATS

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Abstract
Normal rats treated with DCA or injd. with isotonic NaCl or CaCl2 soln. have elevated electroshock seizure thresholds. Rats injd. with isotonic KC1 or MgCl2 soln. or phosphate buffer show lowered thresholds for electroshock convulsions. The injn. of Ringer''s soln. produces no change in electroshock seizure threshold. Alterations in maximal seizure pattern produced by injn. of the salt solns. cannot be correlated with the effects on electroshock seizure threshold. The brains of rats treated for 23 to 31 days with DCA contain normal concns. of water, Na, K and Cl. This is apparently also true of the brains of rats injd. with NaCl, KC1, CaCl2 or MgCl2 solns. The changes in brain excitability produced by treatment with DCA or the 4 salt solns. can be correlated with changes in plasma Na or Ca concns. An increase in plasma Ca, if not masked by a change in plasma Na, is accompanies by an elevation of the electroshock threshold. Any change of more than 3 m.eq./l in plasma Na is accompanied by a change of electroshock seizure threshold in the same direction.