Are WAG/Rij rats with genetic absence epilepsy anxious?

Behavior of susceptible and non-susceptible to audiogenic (convulsive) seizures rats from inbred WAG/Rij strain, genetically predisposed to absence epilepsy, and outbred Wistar strain, genetically not predisposed to absence epilepsy, was compared to assess the level of anxiety (in open field, light-dark choice and elevated plus-maze tests) and the level of depressiveness (in the sucrose consumption and forced swimming tests). Increased level of anxiety was found only in susceptible to audiogenic seizures rats both from WAG/Rij and Wistar strain, but increased level of depressiveness was found only in WAG/Rij strain rats as compared with Wistar rats independently of their susceptibility to audiogenic seizures. Results suggest that increased depressiveness in WAG/Rij strain rats is associated with absence epilepsy but increased anxiety with susceptibility to audiogenic seizures.