Genetically epilepsy-prone rodents show some changes of ion levels in the brain

In the present study the water and ion (Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Fe 3+ , Se 4+ , Mg 2+ , Mn 2 , Se 4+ , Cu 2+ ) content in the brain of genetically epilepsyprone rats (GEPRs) and of 21-, 45-, and 60-day-old DBA/2 mice were determined, and compared with those measured in normal controls (Sprague-Dawley rats and Swiss mice), to verify whether the predisposition to audiogenic seizures (AGS) may be partially related to changes in the cerebral osmotic and ionic state. Our findings clearly evidenziate two points: a) a more complex shift in brain ionic balance (rather than a peculiar modification in the concentration of a single ion) seems very likely involved in AGS susceptibility; b) brain Ca 2+ and Se 4+ amounts, together with the water content, appear to be really important factors to which a role in abnormal seizure predisposition may be attributed.