Hierarchy of seizure states in the electrogenic limbic status epilepticus model: behavioral and electrographic observations of initial states and temporal progression.

Repeated electrical stimulation was delivered to the amygdala in a paradigm of electrogenic limbic status epilepticus induction in rats. We observed four distinct initial behavioral states associated with prolonged spiking, comprising an ordered hierarchy of severity: immobile, exploratory, minor convulsive, and clonic convulsive. The EEG and behavioral topography of the initial prolonged seizure state behaviorally and electrographically resembled the acute seizures that occurred earlier during induction. Onset of status epilepticus on limbic induction appears to represent not a new type of seizure activity, but instead the extended version of repeated brief limbic-onset seizures as seizure-terminating mechanisms gradually become ineffective. These prolonged seizure states can therefore be used to study the anatomy and mechanisms of brief limbic seizures. We also examined the temporal progression of amygdala-induced prolonged-seizure states. At one end of the severity spectrum, immobile-associated spiking was prone to terminate early, within 90 min, accompanied by normalization of behavior. At the other end of the spectrum, clonic convulsive status epilepticus slowly decreased in behavioral severity together with a change in EEG from fast to slow spiking. Exploratory status epilepticus was characterized by incessant explorationlike behavior that could last hours and was associated with slow periodic spike-complexes on EEG. The long-term course consisted either of slow devolution, with eventual cessation of spiking, or of spontaneous late ascension to convulsive status. Prolonged-seizure states may thus be considered to fall not only within an anatomic/behavioral hierarchy of severity, but also within a temporal physiologic progression.