Increased deposition of cholesterol in brain after electroconvulsive seizure.

Rats injected intracranially with cholesterol precursors and subjected to electroconvulsive seizures showed significantly higher levels of deposition of [4-14C]cholesterol into brain cholesterol than controls. The degree of incorporation was cholesterol greater than mevalonic acid greater than sodium acetate; in each case convulsed animals exceeded unshocked animals. Enhanced turnover of brain cholesterol with incorporation of circulating sterol may be associated with the etiology of convulsive seizures.