Experimental Epilepsy in Rabbits: Failure to Detect a Difference in Phenylalanine Metabolism in Convulsant Rabbits.

Abstract

In the search for the biochemical abnormality which might be associated with the susceptibility to audiogenic seizures in strains of rabbits previously described (1,2), the conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine by these rabbits was studied. This investigation was carried out because Coleman had reported greatly reduced in vivo production of tyrosine in 2 dilute strains of mice susceptible to audiogenic seizures (3).Materials and methods. All animals came from intensely inbred lines of seizure-susceptible and seizure-resistant rabbits. The L-phenylalanine was obtained from Mann Research Laboratories. In preliminary studies phenylalanine determinations were made by Bio-Science Laboratories; the later phenylalanine and tyrosine determinations were made at Children's Memorial Hospital(4). On the basis of the initial studies, it was hypothesized that phenylalanine metabolism in the rabbit related to coat pigmentation, but not to seizure-susceptibility.To test this hypothesis 6 nonpigmented and 6 pigmented co...