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Strychnine Convulsions in Cockerels
1146
RESEARCH NOTES
in passerine birds. Such work in geese could proceed from knowledge of their minimal obligatory photorefractory period. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The records for this study were kindly provided by Marlin Schiltz, Bancroft, Iowa. REFERENCES
STRYCHNINE CONVULSIONS IN COCKERELS TAKANORI
OOKAWA
Department of Physiology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan (Received for publication December 16, 1975)
ABSTRACT An intravenous injection of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate produced typical convulsions in all cockerels, aged 4 to 12 weeks, as well as adult hens. Convulsions consisted of an initial excitement, tonic stage associated with opisthotonos, transient clonic movement, and finally vigorous tonic convulsions. Strychnine spikes in the Wulst EEG were not induced by the same intravenous dose of strychnine in both cockerels and adult hens. POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 1146-1148,
R
ECENTLY, Osuide (1968) reported that 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was not convulsant in most cockerels, aged 9 to 12 weeks, and no death occurred. In contrast, Ookawa (1973a, b) previously observed that 0.5 mg./kg. strychnine, administered intravenously, produced typical convulsions in the adult chicken. To confirm Osuide's observation, further investigations, using 0.85 mg./kg. body weight strychnine, were made on cockerels, aged from 3 to 12 weeks. Thirty-six male White Leghorn chickens and 11 adult White Leghorn hens were used for this experiment. Twenty-five out of 36 young chickens and 7 out of 11 hens were used for behavioral effects of strychnine. The influence of the convulsant on polygraphic recordings was investigated in the remaining 11 young chickens and 4 adult hens. The bird was fixed in a stereotaxic apparatus. Then,
1976
the beak and both external meati of the chicken were fixed in a holder. The skin of the head was cut under local anesthesia. A platinum-ball electrode insulated with a vinyl tube was used for the electroencephalogram (EEG) of 4-week-old young chickens. The electrodes covered with electrode paste used for recording human electrocardiogram (ECG) were placed symmetrically on the frontal bones, and finally fastened with dental cement over the Wulst, the accessory hyperstriatum (van Tienhoven and Juhasz, 1962; Pearson, 1972). The insect-pin electrodes were inserted into the fine holes on each side, and fixed to the skull with dental cement. The EEG recording electrode was fixed into the skull, so as not to damage the brain. The site of recording EEG was located on the Wulst. The EEG, the neck movement (NM) and
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on May 4, 2015
Balko, L., A. Grom and L. Landau. 1967. On the study of some productive characters in geese under
the conditions of large scale production. Vedecke Prace Vyskumny Ustav Pre Chov Hydiny, 4: 223239. Bielinski, K., and K. Bielinska, 1970. Investigation of the egg laying curve of geese in relation to annual egg production. Postepy Droviarstura, 12: 89-92. Farner, D. S., 1967. The control of avian reproductive cycles, pp. 107-133. In: Proceedings XIV International Ornithological Congress, Oxford, 1966. Blackwells, Oxford. Wolf son, A., 1954. Production of repeated gonadal, fat, and molt cycles within one year in the Junco and White-crowned Sparrow by manipulation of day length. J. Exp. Zool. 125: 353-376.
1147
RESEARCH NOTES
the E C G were simultaneously recorded. For the E E G recording, a monopolar lead was used with the reference electrode on the c o m b . For recording the neck m o v e m e n t , a needle electrode was inserted into the neck muscle (with the reference used in the E E G
TABLE 1.—Effect
of 0.85 mg./kg.
strychnine administered intravenously to cockerels and adult hens*
5
5
10-29 2
9-15 1
6-8
12
Adult*
10-23 2
3-6 2
STRYCHNINE (I.V) 0S5 MG/KG
4-WEEK-OLD
085 MG/KG
12-WEEK-OLD
MIN
I mV
ECG
ADULT
085 MG/KG **
I — W M W II
H"«l I l l |
i
(I I
I |i I ||ll||H|Hll |l"ill»M
1H <|i"
II | l | » i l M«mtfT* H> ' u I' I
I"
FIG. 1. The effect of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate administered intravenously (I.V.) on the electroencephalogram (EEG). the neck movement (NM) and the electrocardiogram (ECG) in 4- and 12-week-old cockerels and an adult hen. The records were taken under no artificial respiration in all birds. Note that movement artifacts elicited by convulsion spasms were seen in the NM and the ECG records, respectively. Each vertical bar indicates 1 mV.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on May 4, 2015
Age of birds in weeks No. convulsing out of 5 Convulsion latency in minutes No. dead birds out of 5
record). For the E C G recording, the II lead was used (Sturkie, 1965). The E E G , the N M and the E C G were recorded on a 4 channel ink-writer system ( N i h o n - K o h d e n , Co., Tokyo) using a time constant of 0.12 s e c . for the recording of the E E G and of the N M ,
1148
RESEARCH NOTES
Bowman et al. (1964) showed that strychnine was more active, the younger the chick:
the smallest effective dose of strychnine was about 1-2 |xg. intravenously in 1-day-old chickens, while 15-20 |xg. were required in 15-day-old chickens. In a further experiment in which 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was given to groups of chickens of different ages from 1-day to 3 months, Osuide (1968) reported that convulsions in 1- to 7-day-oId chickens were stronger and some of the birds died, and that 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was not convulsant in most cockerels, aged from 9 to 12 weeks, and no death occurred. On the other hand, the present experiment demonstrated that 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine, administered intravenously, produced a typical convulsion in the same aged cockerels. The discrepancy between the present finding and that of Osuide may be due to the way of administration. The complete injection of strychnine into the blood stream is important for evoking convulsions in the chicken.
REFERENCES Bowman, W. C , B. A. Callingham and G. Osuide, 1964. Effects of tyramine on a spinal reflex in the anesthetized chick. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 15: SOSSIS. Kaupp, B. F., 1918. The Anatomy of the Domestic Fowl. Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, pp. 242-247. Ookawa, T., 1973a. Effect of strychnine on the electroencephalogram recorded from the Wulst of curarized adult chickens. Poultry Sci. 52: 1090-1102. Ookawa, T., 1973b. Effect of intravenously administered strychnine on the Wulst EEG of conscious adult chickens. Poultry Sci. 52: 2212-2220. Osuide, G., 1968. Effects of some centrally-acting drugs in conscious chicks and spinal reflexes. Europ. J. Pharmacol. 44: 593-604. Pearson, R., 1972. The Avian Brain. Academic Press, London and New York, pp. 448-511. Sturkie, P. D., 1965. Avian Physiology. Comstock Publishing Associates, New York, pp. 133-176. van Tienhoven, A., and L. P. Juhasz, 1962. The chicken telencephalon, diencephalon and mesencephalon in stereotaxic coordinates. J. Comp. Neurol. 118: 185-197.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on May 4, 2015
and 1.0 sec. for the ECG. The polygraphic recordings were made under artificial respiration in most birds. Before restraint, the trachea was cannulated under local anesthesia. Strychnine (a small crystal; Hoei-Yakuko, K.K., Osaka) was used. It was dissolved in a physiological saline solution (Otsuka Seiyaku, Tokyo). A given dose of strychnine solution (1.0 ml./kg. body weight) was injected into the vena basilica or cutinea ulnaris (Kaupp, 1918). As previously noted (Ookawa, 1973a, b), the complete injection of strychnine into the blood stream is important for eliciting convulsions in chickens. At 4 weeks of age, the complete intravenous injection of strychnine was successful. An intravenous injection of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate produced marked convulsions in all cockerels, aged 4 to 12 weeks, as well as adult hens (Table 1). It consists of an initial excitement, in which the feathers flattened, tonic stage associated with opisthotonos, transient clonic movement and finally vigorous tonic convulsions (also see Fig. 1). During the initial excitement, the nictiating membranes were transiently closed in cockerels and adult hens. Persistence of the excited state was 10-20 seconds. Convulsion latency was 6-29 minutes in 4- to 12-week-old cockerels. Number of dead birds out of 5 is shown in Table 1. When a dose of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was administered intravenously in 4 to 12week-old cockerels and adult hens, distinct changes in the NM and in the ECG were observed, as seen in Fig. 1. Periodic occurrence of tonic convulsions was observed both in the NM and in the ECG under non-artificial respiration. However, strychnine spikes in the EEG was not induced by an intravenous dose of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate in cockerels and adult hens.
RESEARCH NOTES
in passerine birds. Such work in geese could proceed from knowledge of their minimal obligatory photorefractory period. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The records for this study were kindly provided by Marlin Schiltz, Bancroft, Iowa. REFERENCES
STRYCHNINE CONVULSIONS IN COCKERELS TAKANORI
OOKAWA
Department of Physiology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan (Received for publication December 16, 1975)
ABSTRACT An intravenous injection of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate produced typical convulsions in all cockerels, aged 4 to 12 weeks, as well as adult hens. Convulsions consisted of an initial excitement, tonic stage associated with opisthotonos, transient clonic movement, and finally vigorous tonic convulsions. Strychnine spikes in the Wulst EEG were not induced by the same intravenous dose of strychnine in both cockerels and adult hens. POULTRY SCIENCE 55: 1146-1148,
R
ECENTLY, Osuide (1968) reported that 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was not convulsant in most cockerels, aged 9 to 12 weeks, and no death occurred. In contrast, Ookawa (1973a, b) previously observed that 0.5 mg./kg. strychnine, administered intravenously, produced typical convulsions in the adult chicken. To confirm Osuide's observation, further investigations, using 0.85 mg./kg. body weight strychnine, were made on cockerels, aged from 3 to 12 weeks. Thirty-six male White Leghorn chickens and 11 adult White Leghorn hens were used for this experiment. Twenty-five out of 36 young chickens and 7 out of 11 hens were used for behavioral effects of strychnine. The influence of the convulsant on polygraphic recordings was investigated in the remaining 11 young chickens and 4 adult hens. The bird was fixed in a stereotaxic apparatus. Then,
1976
the beak and both external meati of the chicken were fixed in a holder. The skin of the head was cut under local anesthesia. A platinum-ball electrode insulated with a vinyl tube was used for the electroencephalogram (EEG) of 4-week-old young chickens. The electrodes covered with electrode paste used for recording human electrocardiogram (ECG) were placed symmetrically on the frontal bones, and finally fastened with dental cement over the Wulst, the accessory hyperstriatum (van Tienhoven and Juhasz, 1962; Pearson, 1972). The insect-pin electrodes were inserted into the fine holes on each side, and fixed to the skull with dental cement. The EEG recording electrode was fixed into the skull, so as not to damage the brain. The site of recording EEG was located on the Wulst. The EEG, the neck movement (NM) and
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on May 4, 2015
Balko, L., A. Grom and L. Landau. 1967. On the study of some productive characters in geese under
the conditions of large scale production. Vedecke Prace Vyskumny Ustav Pre Chov Hydiny, 4: 223239. Bielinski, K., and K. Bielinska, 1970. Investigation of the egg laying curve of geese in relation to annual egg production. Postepy Droviarstura, 12: 89-92. Farner, D. S., 1967. The control of avian reproductive cycles, pp. 107-133. In: Proceedings XIV International Ornithological Congress, Oxford, 1966. Blackwells, Oxford. Wolf son, A., 1954. Production of repeated gonadal, fat, and molt cycles within one year in the Junco and White-crowned Sparrow by manipulation of day length. J. Exp. Zool. 125: 353-376.
1147
RESEARCH NOTES
the E C G were simultaneously recorded. For the E E G recording, a monopolar lead was used with the reference electrode on the c o m b . For recording the neck m o v e m e n t , a needle electrode was inserted into the neck muscle (with the reference used in the E E G
TABLE 1.—Effect
of 0.85 mg./kg.
strychnine administered intravenously to cockerels and adult hens*
5
5
10-29 2
9-15 1
6-8
12
Adult*
10-23 2
3-6 2
STRYCHNINE (I.V) 0S5 MG/KG
4-WEEK-OLD
085 MG/KG
12-WEEK-OLD
MIN
I mV
ECG
ADULT
085 MG/KG **
I — W M W II
H"«l I l l |
i
(I I
I |i I ||ll||H|Hll |l"ill»M
1H <|i"
II | l | » i l M«mtfT* H> ' u I' I
I"
FIG. 1. The effect of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate administered intravenously (I.V.) on the electroencephalogram (EEG). the neck movement (NM) and the electrocardiogram (ECG) in 4- and 12-week-old cockerels and an adult hen. The records were taken under no artificial respiration in all birds. Note that movement artifacts elicited by convulsion spasms were seen in the NM and the ECG records, respectively. Each vertical bar indicates 1 mV.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on May 4, 2015
Age of birds in weeks No. convulsing out of 5 Convulsion latency in minutes No. dead birds out of 5
record). For the E C G recording, the II lead was used (Sturkie, 1965). The E E G , the N M and the E C G were recorded on a 4 channel ink-writer system ( N i h o n - K o h d e n , Co., Tokyo) using a time constant of 0.12 s e c . for the recording of the E E G and of the N M ,
1148
RESEARCH NOTES
Bowman et al. (1964) showed that strychnine was more active, the younger the chick:
the smallest effective dose of strychnine was about 1-2 |xg. intravenously in 1-day-old chickens, while 15-20 |xg. were required in 15-day-old chickens. In a further experiment in which 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was given to groups of chickens of different ages from 1-day to 3 months, Osuide (1968) reported that convulsions in 1- to 7-day-oId chickens were stronger and some of the birds died, and that 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was not convulsant in most cockerels, aged from 9 to 12 weeks, and no death occurred. On the other hand, the present experiment demonstrated that 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine, administered intravenously, produced a typical convulsion in the same aged cockerels. The discrepancy between the present finding and that of Osuide may be due to the way of administration. The complete injection of strychnine into the blood stream is important for evoking convulsions in the chicken.
REFERENCES Bowman, W. C , B. A. Callingham and G. Osuide, 1964. Effects of tyramine on a spinal reflex in the anesthetized chick. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 15: SOSSIS. Kaupp, B. F., 1918. The Anatomy of the Domestic Fowl. Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, pp. 242-247. Ookawa, T., 1973a. Effect of strychnine on the electroencephalogram recorded from the Wulst of curarized adult chickens. Poultry Sci. 52: 1090-1102. Ookawa, T., 1973b. Effect of intravenously administered strychnine on the Wulst EEG of conscious adult chickens. Poultry Sci. 52: 2212-2220. Osuide, G., 1968. Effects of some centrally-acting drugs in conscious chicks and spinal reflexes. Europ. J. Pharmacol. 44: 593-604. Pearson, R., 1972. The Avian Brain. Academic Press, London and New York, pp. 448-511. Sturkie, P. D., 1965. Avian Physiology. Comstock Publishing Associates, New York, pp. 133-176. van Tienhoven, A., and L. P. Juhasz, 1962. The chicken telencephalon, diencephalon and mesencephalon in stereotaxic coordinates. J. Comp. Neurol. 118: 185-197.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at D H Hill Library - Acquis S on May 4, 2015
and 1.0 sec. for the ECG. The polygraphic recordings were made under artificial respiration in most birds. Before restraint, the trachea was cannulated under local anesthesia. Strychnine (a small crystal; Hoei-Yakuko, K.K., Osaka) was used. It was dissolved in a physiological saline solution (Otsuka Seiyaku, Tokyo). A given dose of strychnine solution (1.0 ml./kg. body weight) was injected into the vena basilica or cutinea ulnaris (Kaupp, 1918). As previously noted (Ookawa, 1973a, b), the complete injection of strychnine into the blood stream is important for eliciting convulsions in chickens. At 4 weeks of age, the complete intravenous injection of strychnine was successful. An intravenous injection of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate produced marked convulsions in all cockerels, aged 4 to 12 weeks, as well as adult hens (Table 1). It consists of an initial excitement, in which the feathers flattened, tonic stage associated with opisthotonos, transient clonic movement and finally vigorous tonic convulsions (also see Fig. 1). During the initial excitement, the nictiating membranes were transiently closed in cockerels and adult hens. Persistence of the excited state was 10-20 seconds. Convulsion latency was 6-29 minutes in 4- to 12-week-old cockerels. Number of dead birds out of 5 is shown in Table 1. When a dose of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine was administered intravenously in 4 to 12week-old cockerels and adult hens, distinct changes in the NM and in the ECG were observed, as seen in Fig. 1. Periodic occurrence of tonic convulsions was observed both in the NM and in the ECG under non-artificial respiration. However, strychnine spikes in the EEG was not induced by an intravenous dose of 0.85 mg./kg. strychnine nitrate in cockerels and adult hens.