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 gonadal hormone replacement on seizure susceptibility, mortality, and seizure-induced histopathology, and that gonadectomy unmasks sex differences in susceptibility to seizures and mortality not observed in gonad-intact controls.