While serotonin (5-HT) has been shown to be anticonvulsant in several
types of experimentally induced seizures, 5-HT receptor binding has no
t been investigated in the kindling model of epilepsy. The present stu
dy examined the effects of amygdala kindling on two 5-HT receptor subt
ypes and on the 5-HT transporter in rat brain. Kindling induced a pers
istent bilateral increase in 5-HT1A binding in the dentate gyrus, whil
e 5-HT1B receptors increased only in a delayed fashion. Binding to the
5-HT transporter was transiently decreased in dentate gyrus. In cereb
ral cortex, binding of the three ligands was unchanged. Alterations in
5-HT receptors and the 5-HT transporter may endogenously modulate kin
dled seizures. Additionally, autoradiography of adenosine A1 receptors
revealed no change for these receptors in any brain region.