Studies of abnormal behavior in the rat. XIV. Strain differences in the inheritance of susceptibility to convulsions.

Abstract

The 2 strains comprising the author''s colony and a mixed strain were studied by mating in each strain neurotic with neurotic, neurotic with normal, and normal with normal, animals in various combinations in F2 and F3. The "Stable" strain is less susceptible to seizures, heavier, more effective in mating (which results in larger litters than "Unstable" matings), and transmits the susceptibility to a smaller proportion of the offspring in all types of matings. They also differed from the "Unstable" strain in their reactions to Metrazol. "It is concluded that the hereditary nature of the transmission of convulsive tendencies is complex in nature both because of this strain factor and because the inheritance in neither strain follows a simple Mendelian pattern." The strain differences observed lead the author to question further the view that susceptibility to seizures is a function of auditory sensitivity Or other simple peripheral factor, inasmuch as the strain differences in reaction to Metrazol as well as those differences in reaction to irritating sounds indicate "that the nature of convulsive susceptibility is not specific.".