Hyperthermia-induced seizures with a servo system: neurophysiological roles of age, temperature elevation rate and regional GABA content in the rat.

A servo system including a microwave generator was applied to raise a rat's body temperature at a pre-set rate. Using this system the effects of age and the temperature elevation rate upon febrile seizures in rats were studied. The relationship between the brain GABA content and hyperthermia was also studied. From the results of the present study, the seizure occurrence rate was found to be highest at the age of 20 days, brain damage was speculated to be severe after hyperthermia-induced seizures with a slow temperature rise, and the regional GABA concentration in subcortical structures was found to increase during hyperthermia. These data indicate that a servo system with a microwave generator is useful for experimental febrile convulsions, and that GABA neurotransmission in subcortical structures might contribute to feed-back regulation against seizures during hyperthermia.