Harmful effect of kainic acid on brain ischemic damage is not related to duration of status epilepticus

Status epilepticus is common in infants and may have long-term consequences on the brain persisting into adulthood. Vascular ischemia is a common cause of stroke in adulthood. The extent of stroke in 15-day-old rats is larger when previously exposed to kainic acid-induced status epilepticus. In this paper, we assess whether shortening the duration of seizures modifies subsequent susceptibility to middle cerebral artery occlusion. We administered pentobarbital 50 mg/kg to abort seizures after 1 h. Although administration of pentobarbital aborted seizures, it had no effect on volume of infarction following ischemia. This study indicates that there is dissociation between stopping status epilepticus and modifying its long-term consequences.