Involvement of central histamine in amygdaloid kindled seizures in rats

The involvement of central histamine in amygdaloid kindled seizures in rats was investigated using histamine-related compounds. Histamine contents in the amygdala of electrical stimulation site was significantly decreased after development of amygdaloid kindling. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of histamine resulted in inhibition of amygdaloid kindled seizures. The H(1)-agonists 2-methylhistamine and 2-thiazolylethylamine also inhibited amygdaloid kindled seizures. In addition, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of histidine and metoprine inhibited amygdaloid kindled seizures at doses that caused increases in histamine contents of the brain. H(1)-antagonists (diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine) attenuated histamine (i.c.v.)-induced inhibition of amygdaloid kindled seizures, however, no significant antagonism was observed with H(2)-antagonists (cimetidine, ranitidine or zolantidine). Intracerebroventricular injection of H(3)-antagonists (thioperamide and AQ 0145) resulted in a dose-related inhibition of amygdaloid kindled seizures. The same findings were observed when thioperamide and clobenpropit were injected i.p. The effects of thioperamide (i.p.) and AQ 0145 (i.p.) were inhibited by an H(3)-agonist [(R)-alpha-methylhistamine] and H(1)-antagonists (diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine). On the other hand, H(2)-antagonists (cimetidine and ranitidine) showed no antagonistic effects. These findings suggested that a histaminergic mechanism plays an important role in suppressing amygdaloid kindled seizures through histamine H(1)-receptors.