Hyponatremia augments kainic-acid induced status epilepticus in the mouse: A model for dysmetabolic status epilepticus

Status epilepticus (SE) is a dreaded neurological emergency. A reignited interest in SE has resulted in a more adaptive use of treatment protocols. More knowledge on SE of various aetiologies is therefore needed. We are interested in treatment of SE under hyponatremia, and have here evaluated whether SE induced by systemic kainic acid could be a suitable platform for such studies. Acute hyponatremia was induced in C57/BL6 mice by intraperitoneal injection of dDAVP and water loading. Hyponatremic mice displayed an increased frequency of epileptiform spikes on EEG and 5/9 hyponatremic mice displayed electrographic seizures. After kainic acid (20 mg/kg) treatment, hyponatremic mice displayed significantly longer time with electrographic seizure activity, which was also seen after treatment with diazepam (20 mg/kg). We conclude that hyponatremia augments kainic acid-induced SE, This model might be a valuable platform for studies on treatment of SE in hyponatremia.