Electroshock convulsion threshold and organ weights in rats after alcohol consumption

¹ Departments of Biological Sciences and Psychology, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

Rats were given 5% or 10% alcohol as the sole drinking fluid for 129–157 days and the electroshock convulsion threshold obtained. Thresholds for both the minimum seizure and the maximum seizure were determined. In the minimum seizure experiment, values were 21.4 ma for the control group and 25.7 ma for 10% alcohol-treated rats. In the maximum seizure experiment, the average threshold was 34.3 ma for the control group, 48.2 ma for the 10% alcohol-treated group, 39.5 ma for the 5% alcohol-treated group, and 29.8 ma for a formaldehyde-stressed group. In both instances the threshold elevation was statistically significant at the 1% level. No significant effect of body weight was seen on the electroshock convulsion threshold of the normal rat. Postmortem examination failed to reveal significant changes in the liver or endocrine system, and it was concluded that the increased electroshock convulsion threshold after chronic alcohol consumption was probably due to a depressant action of alcohol on the central nervous system.