Audiogenic seizures and the pineal gland.

The effects of sound stimulation (electric bell, 110 dB) on the pineal glands of adult female rats were studied. Two types of animals were selected: audiogenic (Adg) and nonaudiogenic (Nadg). Unlike the Nadg rats, Adg rats exhibited tonic-clonic seizures in response to stimulation. In Adg rats, after a single seizure, all pinealocyte nuclei were pyknotic and the characteristic lobular organization of the pineal was markedly disrupted, indicating intense glandular stress; however, neither serotonin levels nor its biosynthesis were significantly altered. These results suggest a physiopathological relationship between audiogenic seizures and the pineal gland.