Anticonvulsive effect of swim stress in mice.

To explore the possible involvement of glucocorticoids in the previously observed anticonvulsive effect of swim stress, mice were, prior to administration of convulsants, subjected to treatments that diminish or enhance plasma corticosterone levels. Aminoglutethimide, the inhibitor of steroid synthesis, failed to modify convulsant doses of picrotoxin, but enhanced threshold doses of pentylenetetrazole producing myoclonus and death, both in unstressed and stressed animals. The same drug prevented the effect of stress on pentylenetetrazole-induced running bouncing clonus (RB clonus) and abolished the appearance of tonic hindlimb extension (THE). Doses of kainic acid producing convulsions and death were not affected by stress, but they were enhanced by aminoglutethimide. Corticosterone administration could not imitate the effect of swim stress. Finasteride, a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor, did not interfere with the effect of stress on picrotoxin-induced convulsions. Swim stress failed to modify the binding of the convulsant t[3H]-butylbicycloorthobenzoate [3H]TBOB, to washed mouse forebrain membranes. The results confirmed an anticonvulsant effect of swim stress against convulsions produced by GABA-related convulsants, but they do not support the hypothesis suggesting the involvement of glucocorticoids or neurosteroids in this effect.