Pilocarpine-Induced Epilepsy Model in Rats

Rats were given LiCl (127 mg/kg, i.p.) 24 h before the pilocarpine treatment. Animals were intraperitoneally (i.p.) treated with pilocarpine (30 mg/kg) 20 min prior to atropine methylbromide (5 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment. Diazepam (Hoffman la Roche, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France; 10 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 2 h after onset of SE and repeated as needed. Control animals received saline in place of pilocarpine. The volume of each solution administered was 0.2 mL. Thereafter, rats were video-monitored 8 h a day for general behavior and occurrence of spontaneous seizures for 4 weeks after SE [14 (link),15 (link),38 (link),41 (link)]. Chronic epilepsy rats were classified by behavioral seizures with seizure score ≥3 more than once, according to Racine’s scale [63 (link)].