Inbred Strains
of Rats: GEPR
Inbr. F32 (Jbe 1989).
Colour: Albino.
Genet. c
Origin: Jobe, 1971 from outbred Sprague-Dawley stock. Selected for moderate
susceptibility to audiogenic stimuli-induced seizures (Reigel et al 1986a).
Characteristics
Good reproductive performance. In response to a standard sound stimulus
animals exhibit a single wild running phase followed by clonic convulsions.
They often show postictal rage including vocalization, jumping, biting
movements and intermittent catatonia (
Reigel
et al 1986a). Not susceptible to audogenic seizures at birth (
Jobe et al 1980). Susceptibility begins at approx. 15 days
of age (
Reigel et al 1986b, 1989). May
prove a useful model for assessing anti-convulsant drugs (
Reigel et al 1986a, Dailey et al 1989).
A different substrain, GEPR-9, is subject to seizures of greater severity.
They become sensitive from about 21 days of age post-partum (Hjeresen et al 1987).
Hjeresen
D. L., Franck J. E., and Amend D. L. (1987) Ontogeny of seizure incidence,
latency, and severity in genetically epilepsy prone rats. Devel. Psychobiol.
20, 355-363.
Jobe P. C.,
Brown R. D., Dailey J. W., Ray T. B., Woods T. W., Mims M. E., and Barnsfather
S. (1980) Effects of multiple exposures to intense acoustic stimulation
on audiogenic seizure (AGS) susceptibility (S) and intensity (I) in rats.
A developmental study in progeny from a genetically susceptible colony.
Neurosci. Abstr. 6, 278.8.
Reigel
C. E. J., Dailey J. W., and Jobe P. C. (1986a) The genetically epilepsy-prone
rat: an overview of seizure-prone characteristics and responsiveness to
anticonvulsant drugs. Life Sci. 39, 763-774.
Reigel
C. E., Jobe P. C., Dailey J. W., and Savage D. D. (1986b) Ontogeny of
sound-induced seizure susceptibility and severity in the genetically epilepsy-prone
rat (GEPR). Neurosci. Abstr. 12, 73.
INBRED STRAINS OF RATS
Updated 9 Apr. 1998
Michael FW
Festing
MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building,
University of Leicester,
UK