ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effects of interical epileptiform discharges (IED) on emotional behavior and spatial learning and memory of rats.Methods 76 male Wistar rats were divided randomly into 4 groups. Group HK/SE (n=23) for kindling with rapidly recurring hippocampal seizure followed by subconvulsive electrical stimulation to hippocampus 13 days later. Group HK (n=20) for hippocampal kindling. Group SE (n=17) for control of electrode implanted in hippocampus without stimulation, and Group NC (n=16) for normal control. The emotional behaviors of experimental animals were tested by the activity in an unfamiliar open field and resistance to capture from the open field, as well as their spatial learning ability in the Morris watermaze.Results The IED rats in Group HK/SE tested 14 days after hippocampal kindling displayed substantial decreases in open-field activity (scale: 17.3?3.6 for NC group, and 4.6?1.3 for IED rats, P