The effect of familact probiotic on seizure acquisition, cognitive function, and memory in an electrical kindling model of epilepsy in rats.

Abstract

Epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, often proves resistant to pharmacological treatment. Given emerging research on the positive effects of probiotics on seizures, this study investigated the impact of Familact probiotic on seizures induced by electrical kindling, and on learning and memory in rats. Four animal groups received either saline or probiotic orally, beginning two weeks prior to surgery. Two of these groups were subjected to electrical stimulation until fully kindled, while the other two served as non-stimulated shams. The results demonstrated significant anti-epileptogenic effects from the probiotic. Treated animals required a significantly higher number of stimulations to reach the stages 4 and 5 of seizures. Furthermore, the duration of after-discharge waves during threshold determination and in fully kindled rats was significantly reduced with probiotic administration. However, no significant differences were observed in the stage 4 latency or the duration of stage 5 seizures. In behavioral tests, electrical kindling impaired the acquisition of spatial memory in the Morris water maze, as the saline-treated kindled group showed no improvement in finding a hidden platform. In contrast, both the probiotic-treated sham and kindled groups exhibited a significant reduction in the time needed to locate the platform, indicating that probiotics improved spatial memory acquisition. Probiotic administration did not significantly affect the acquisition of passive avoidance memory, nor did it impact memory retrieval in either learning test. In conclusion, long-term probiotic consumption can delay seizure acquisition, exert anticonvulsant effects, and positively influence the acquisition of spatial memory, highlighting its potential therapeutic role.