Enriched Environment Protects Against Seizures, and Associated Anxiety and Cognitive Impairment in Mouse

Epilepsy is one of the most common problems in the health system, of which some cases are resistant to treatment. Recently, environmental enrichment has shown beneficial results in the recovery of some cases of epilepsy.

Male mice were reared in an enriched or normal medium during their growth period. To induce seizures, at adult age, each group was divided into two subgroups, which one of them received pentylenetetrazole eleven times, with two days interval.

The enriched environment greatly reduced seizure behaviors and prevented the occurrence of anxiety-like behavior and cognitive disorders. It also prevented an increase in the inflammatory cytokine of TNF-α in the hippocampus.

Therefore, a suitable growth environment in childhood and adolescence can be useful in preventing seizure disorders in adulthood.