Metyrapone abolishes spike–wave discharge seizures in genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg by reducing stress hormones

Abstract

Objective: Stress is one of the most commonly reported triggers for seizures in patients with epilepsy, although the mechanisms that mediate this effect are not established. The clinical evidence supporting this is derived from patients' subjective experience of stress, and how this influences their own seizures. Animal models can be used to explore this phenomenon in controlled environments, free from subjective bias. Here, we used genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS), a genetic rat model of absence epilepsy, to explore the influence of stress and stress hormones on spontaneous seizures. Methods: Adult male GAERS (n = 38) and nonepileptic control (NEC) rats (n = 4) were use..