Sex and gonadectomy modify behavioral seizure susceptibility and mortality in a repeated low-dose kainic acid systemic injection paradigm in mice.

The RLDKA protocol is notable for its efficacy in inducing SE and seizure-induced histopathology in C57BL/6J mice, the background for many transgenic strains in current use in epilepsy research. The present results indicate that this protocol may be beneficial for investigating the effects of ovarian hormone replacement on seizure susceptibility and seizure-induced histopathology in OVX female mice, but substantially increased mortality limits its utility in ORX males.