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Effect of Experimental Limbic Epilepsy on the Estrus Cycle and Reproductive Success in Rats
Author(s) -
Mellanby Jane,
Dwyer Jonathan,
Hawkins Catherine A.,
Hitchen Caroline
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
epilepsia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.687
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1528-1167
pISSN - 0013-9580
DOI - 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1993.tb02402.x
Subject(s) - estrous cycle , epilepsy , mating , hippocampus , limbic system , vaginal smear , physiology , medicine , endocrinology , psychology , anesthesia , biology , central nervous system , neuroscience , ecology
Summary: Epilepsy was induced in female rats by the injection of tetanus toxin (5 mouse LD50) unilaterally into the ventral hippocampus under anesthesia. During the 2–4 weeks that the rats exhibited intermittent spontaneous convulsions, daily vaginal smear tests showed that their estrous cycle was interrupted. In control rats such interruption only occurred for just a few days after the operation. Investigation of mating behavior, on the first night of proestrus, which occurred after 7 weeks from the operation, showed that there were fewer mounts, intromissions or ejaculations from the males, which were caged with previously epileptic animals. These females produced slighly smaller litters than their controls and there was a marked failure of their young to thrive in comparison with those of the control females. This failure appeared to be related to relatively high “stress” levels in the general laboratory environment. The impairment of reproductive success only lasted about 3 months after the original induction of epilepsy since subsequent litters to the same animals thrived normally.