Effects of artificially induced increases in intracranial pressure on epileptic activity.

The effects of induced increases in intracranial pressure (ICP) on epileptic activity following topical application of penicillin on the cerebral cortex or dorsal hippocampus were investigated in rabbits. Enhanced basal epileptic activity was brought about by the rise in the ICP, obtained with repeated lumbar infusions of saline. In some animals, this increased activity was already evident during the test, while in others it became obvious only at the end of the procedure. When induced, the increased epileptic activity could persist even after the ICP had returned to within normal limits.