RESUMO
In the present study we followed the changes in the intracranial pressure and EEG activity of rabbits caused by the butyric short-chain fatty acid infused as an 0.2 M solution at the rate of 12 ml/h. Changes in the rabbit's normal EEG of paroxysmal nature were initially observed, followed by a rise of intracranial pressure as a result of the edema that developed in the brain. Pretreatment of the animals with an inhibitor of the prostaglandin (PG) synthesis (indomethacin, i.v. 10 mg/kg b.w.) prevented the appearance of paroxysms. The intracranial pressure increased in the presence of indomethacin, but there was a tendency towards reduction of the maximal value reached in the control animals. We conclude that the PG system participates to a varying degree in the genesis of the butyrate-induced changes in the bioelectric cerebral activity and intracranial pressure.
