Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
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The effect of estriol, the third estrogen, was evaluated for its effect on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-kindling model of epileptogenesis in mice followed by evaluation on kindling-induced changes in cognitive and motor functions. Kindling was induced by once every 2 days treatment with PTZ (25 mg/kg, i.p.) for 5 weeks. The seizure severity during induction of kindling and percentage incidence of animals kindled at the end of 5 weeks was recorded. ⋯ The study shows that estriol has powerful proconvulsant effects. Its administration in hormone replacement therapy or other indications, thus, requires careful monitoring in patients susceptible to epileptic seizures. The anticonvulsant effects of clomiphene requires further investigations.