Decrease of GABA-immunoreactive neurons in the amygdala after electrical kindling in the rat

Patrick M. Callahan, Joseph M. Paris, Cunningham Kathryn A., Patricia Shinnick-Gallagher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

55 Scopus citations

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of electrical kindling in vivo on GABA immunoreactivity (GABA-IR) of the lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei 2-6 months post-stimulation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with bipolar electrodes in the basolateral nucleus and stimulated once per day until 3-5 stage 5 seizures were observed. Coronal sections containing the amygdala were processed for GABA-IR using the contralateral side of the brain. Results indicate that, in comparison to controls. fully kindled animals showed a significant decrease in total number of GABA-IR amygdala neurons. Decreases in GABA-positive punctate structures surrounding unlabeled pyramidal cells were also observed, but not quantified. The present data suggest that epileptogenesis of the amygdala is associated with a significant reduction of GABA-IR in the lateral and basolateral areas throughout the contralateral amygdaloid nucleus.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)335-339
Number of pages5
JournalBrain Research
Volume555
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2 1991
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Amygdala
  • Electrical kindling
  • Epilepsy
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Rat
  • γ-Aminobutyric acid

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Developmental Biology

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