Development of spike-wave seizures in C3H/HeJ mice.

C3H/HeJ mice have been reported to have relatively early onset of spike-wave discharges (SWD), and a defective AMPA receptor subunit Gria4 as the genetic cause. We investigated the time course of SWD development through serial EEG recordings in C3H/HeJ mice to better characterize this model. We found that at immature postnatal ages of 5-15 days, rare SWD-like events were observed at an average rate of 3 per hour, and with relatively broad spikes, irregular rhythm, slow frequency (5-6 Hz), and short duration (mean 1.75 s). This was followed by a transitional period of increasing SWD incidence, which then stabilized in mature animals at age 26-62 days, with SWD at an average rate of 45 per hour, narrower spike morphology, regular rhythm, higher frequency (7-8 Hz), and longer duration (mean 3.40s). This sequence of maturational changes in SWD development suggests that effects of early intervention could be tested in C3H/HeJ mice over the course of a few weeks, rather than a few months as in rats, greatly facilitating future research on anti-epileptogenesis.