Sudden sound-induced death in magnesium-deficient rats after repetitive episodes of seizures result from brain dysfunction.

To clarify the changes occurring in EEG and ECG from seizure induction to sudden death, 25 weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a severely Mg-deficient diet for 18 days. In nine of 25 Mg-deficient rats, both EEG and ECG were recorded from the beginning of seizures induction until sudden death. When flattening of EEG became after seizure occurrence, all nine Mg-deficient rats did not recover and death occurred within a few minutes. These results may support the idea that sudden death in Mg-deficient rats resulted from brain dysfunction after repetitive episodes of noise-induced seizures and not from simple apnoea due to tonic contraction of respiratory muscle.