The mnemonic effects of kindling

Kindling produces enduring changes in the brain that are evident in not only enhanced susceptibility to seizure-evoking stimuli but also alterations in non-epileptic behaviors or functions. The present review examines the effects of kindling on one class of non-epileptic functions, learning and memory, and explores the dependence of these effects on variables such as the site of kindling, extent of kindling, and interval between kindling and testing. Current research shows that kindling is capable of altering performance on a variety of tasks including those that require spatial cognition, aversive conditioning, and object-related cognition and that non-mnemonic effects are unlikely, in at least some cases, to underlie these effects. Consideration of the conditions under which these effects are observed indicates a distinct relation between specific mnemonic effects and both the site and extent of kindling. Continued characterization of the mnemonic effects of kindling should provide a theoretical framework to guide discovery of their underlying mechanisms, which, in turn, may lead to rational therapy for mnemonic dysfunction associated with epilepsy and insights into the mechanisms of learning and memory.