Effects of the T-type calcium channel CaV3.2 R1584P mutation on absence seizure susceptibility in GAERS and NEC congenic rats models

•GAERS had shorter latency to first seizures, increased number and duration of seizures, and higher cycle frequency of SWD compared GAERS-Cacna1hNEC.•The homozygous presence of the R1584P variant in congenic NEC rats (i.e. NEC-Cacna1hGAERS) was not enough to generate spontaneous seizures.•GAERS and GAERS-Cacna1hNEC rats developed anxiety at 6 and 16 weeks of age, indicating that the R1584P variant did not determine this behaviour.•Only the GAERS develop depressive-like behaviour, indicating that the R1584P variant is a determinant of this behaviour.•T-type Ca2+ CaV3.2 channel expression was increased in GAERS, and the ratio of CaV3.2 +25/-25 splice variants was increased in GAERS and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS.