Comparing the Anticonvulsant Effects of Low Frequency Stimulation of Different Brain Sites on the Amygdala Kindling Acquisition in Rats

Low frequency stimulation (LFS) is a potential alternative therapy for epilepsy. However, it seems that the anticonvulsant effects of LFS depend on its target sites in the brain. Thus, the present study was designed to compare the anticonvulsant effects of LFS administered to amygdala, piriform cortex and substantia nigra on amygdala kindling acquisition. In control group, rats were kindled in a chronic manner (one stimulation per 24 h). In other experimental groups, animals received low-frequency stimulation (8 packages at 100 s intervals, each package contained 200 monophasic square-wave pulses, 0.1 ms pulse duration at 1 Hz andAD threshold intensity) in amygdala, piriform cortex or substantia nigra 60 seconds after the kindling stimulation, the AD duration and daily seizure stages were recorded. The obtained results showed that administration of LFS in all three regions reduced electrical and behavioral parameters of the kindling procedure. However LFS has a stronger inhibitory effect on kindling development when applied in substantia nigra compared to the amygdala and piriform cortex which reinforce the view that the substantia nigra mediates a crucial role in amygdala-kindled seizures. LFS had also greater inhibitory effects when applied to the amygdala compared to piriform cortex. Thus, it may be suggested that antiepileptogenic effect of LFS depends on its target site and different brain areas exert different inhibitory effects on kindling acquisition according to the seizure focus.