The Relation between Starvation, Metabolic Acidosis and Convulsive Seizures in Rats

Abstract

The electroshock threshold of rats increases as their body weight increases. If the caloric intake is restricted, the electroshock threshold falls significantly, and it rises abruptly to normal when the restriction is removed. Supplemental administration of vitamins of the B complex or of agar to rats having low thresholds as a result of restricted caloric intake has no effect upon the electroshock thresholds. Supplemental administration of carbohydrate, fat or protein to rats having low electroshock thresholds as the result of caloric restriction raises the threshold. Supplemental administration of fat to normal rats lowers the electroshock threshold. The electroshock threshold may either rise or fall when mild metabolic acidosis is produced by starvation or fat feeding. Mild metabolic acidosis produced by ammonium chloride has no effect upon the electroshock threshold, but extreme metabolic acidosis raises the threshold.