Effect of Allopregnanolone and Allotetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone on Spike-Wave Discharges in the EEG of Absence Epilepsy Rat Models

In the 2018 study involving 32 WAG/Rij rats, a model for absence epilepsy, researchers found that the neuroactive steroids allopregnanolone (THPROG) and allotetrahydrodeoxycorticosteron (THDOC) significantly increased the count and duration of spike-wave discharges (SWDs) after systemic administration. This suggests that THPROG and THDOC exacerbate absence seizures in this rat model, with no significant difference between the two steroids in terms of their efficacy. The study highlights the complex role of neuroactive steroids in modulating seizure activity, with these particular steroids worsening nonconvulsive seizures like absence epilepsy, despite reducing convulsive seizures. The research was supported by the Cumhuriyet University Scientific Research Projects Department.