Post-ictal resistance to audiogenic seizures in inbred mice.

Inbred audiosensitive mice exposed to a prolonged auditory signal recovered and remained refractory to further audiogenic seizures as long as the signal was continued. Susceptibility to audiogenic seizures returned upon cessation of sound. The rate of return was the same whether the sound stimulus was brief or prolonged. In a small proportion of test animals, which failed to become fully refractory, the continuing auditory stimulus proved lethal. Mice maintained in the post-seizure refractory state were fully susceptible to Metrazol-induced seizures.