Аннотация:Prolonged epileptic seizures are known to cause neuronal
death and lead to brain damage. Lesions in various brain regions can result in memory and cognitive impairment. We
studied early and late changes of brain structures after prolonged severe seizures on lithium-pilocarpine model of status
epilepticus (SE) in rats. To induce SE, Wistar rats were treated
with LiCl i.p., and pilocarpine i.p 24 hours after. Control animals
received saline instead of pilocarpine. Seizures were observed
and scored for 2 hours. MRI study of rat brain was performed
2, 7 and 30 days after SE. High-resolution T2 images and T2-
maps were obtained, and total damaged area, hippocampal
volume, and T2 coefficients in several brain structures were
calculated. A week after the MRI study, animals were tested
in an open field. To investigate the ability of the animals to habituate to the new environment, the test was performed three
times with 24-hour intervals. After SE induced by pilocarpine,
the increase of T2 signal was found in hippocampus and associated structures. The patterns of brain damage in rats after
SE varied considerably. All rats after SE demonstrated high
motor activity in an open field and did not habituate in the new
environment that could be the evidence of long-term nonspatial
memory deficit. Rats with large increase of T2 signal and considerable early changes found by MRI, tended to demonstrate
higher activity in the open field in comparison with rats with less
pronounced early MRI changes.