UP-REGULATION OF A1 ADENOSINE RECEPTORS IN HUMAN TEMPORAL-LOBE EPILEPSY - A QUANTITATIVE AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDY

A significant increase of A(1) adenosine receptor binding (48% increas e of mean) was detected in human neocortex obtained from patients suff ering from temporal lobe epilepsy as compared to control neocortex fro m non-epileptic patients. Such increase was equally distributed in the six cortical layers and reached similar levels in each of the five sp ecimens tested independently of age, sex and pharmacological treatment of the patient. Since adenosine exerts a depressant effect on neocort ical neurons in slices obtained from epileptic patients, this upregula tion of A(1) receptor binding may constitute a protective mechanism ag ainst subsequent seizures, which is exerted by elevating the depressan t response of the brain to endogenous adenosine.