SHORT-INTERVAL AMYGDALA KINDLING IN NEONATAL RATS

The kindling paradigm provides a powerful tool for studying the genera tion, propagation and generalization of seizures. Such reproducible qu antitative paradigms are a prerequisite for the experimental study of epilepsy in the developing brain. Kindling has been extensively utiliz ed as a model of limbic seizures in the adult rat; amygdala short-inte rval kindling has been studied in greater-than-or-equal-to 15-day-old rats. We applied the short-interval kindling method, i.e., stimulation at every 15 min, to 7-12-day-old rats. Stage-5 behavioral seizures we re achieved even in 7-day-old rats; however, the progression of behavi oral kindling differed somewhat from that of older rats. Correlation o f electrographic discharges and behavioral phenomena was inversely rel ated to age. Reliable progressive amygdala discharges were difficult t o assess in most less-than-or-equal-to 10-day-old rats. Spontaneous se izures occurred relatively frequently in younger age groups. The amygd ala short-interval kindling paradigm is reproducibly and reliably appl icable to rats during the 2nd postnatal week. The presence of progress ive focal to bilateral-generalized seizures suggests a significant fun ctional maturity of the amygdala-limbic circuitry at this age.