Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy can experience respiratory alterations, notably during seizures. The mechanisms underlying long-term alterations in respiratory function remain unclear. As the brainstem 5-HT system is a prominent modulator of respiratory function, this study aimed at determining whether epilepsy is associated with alterations in both the respiratory function and brainstem serotonin (5-HT) system in rats. Epilepsy was triggered by pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in rats. Our results showed that 30-50% of epileptic (EPI) rats exhibited a sharp decrease in oxygen consumption (SDOC), low metabolic rate of oxygen, and slow regular ventilation (EPI/SDOC + rats). These alterations were detected only in rats with chronic epilepsy, independent of behavioral seizures, were persistent over time, and not associated with death. In these rats, 5-HT fiber density in the nucleus tractus solitarius was lower than that in the control and EPI/SDOC- rats. Both EPI/SDOC + rats and DBA/2 mice that present with audiogenic-induced seizure followed by fatal respiratory arrest-a model of sudden and expected death in epilepsy-had increased transcript levels of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 and 5-HT presynaptic transporter. Thus, our data support that 5-HT alterations are associated with chronic and acute epilepsy-related respiratory dysfunction.
© 2022. The Author(s).