Blood-brain barrier permeability after electrically induced seizure in normoglycemic, hypoglycemic, and hyperglycemic rats.

The influence of hyperglycemia and moderate hypoglycemia plus electroconvulsive seizure on the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to protein was studied in rats. Evans blue was used as a blood-brain barrier tracer. Following a single electroconvulsive seizure, slight staining of brain tissue was seen. After 10 electroconvulsive stimuli followed by sustained seizure activity, this phenomenon was more pronounced in moderate hypoglycemic animals. In this group, Evans blue albumin extravasation occurred in all regions of the hemispheres, but the most severe protein leakage was seen in the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala nuclei, and frontal, parietal, and occipital cortex. Ten repeated electroconvulsive stimuli applied in case of hyperglycemia made no important difference in blood-brain barrier dysfunction according to normoglycemic group. Our results suggest that moderate hypoglycemia provokes the effect of electroconvulsive seizure on the permeability of the blood-brain barrier.