Development of long-term subsensitivity to GABA in dorsal raphe neurons of amygdala-kindled rats

Previously we reported a long-term change in neuronal sensitivity to GABA following amygdala kindling. Dorsal raphe neurons of amygdala-kindled rats exhibited significant subsensitivity to GABA 4 weeks after the last fully generalized (Stage 5) seizure. We hypothesized that this alteration in GABA sensitivity might reflect neuronal changes corresponding to kindled seizure susceptibility and subsequent experiments have investigated this hypothesis. The progression towards neuronal subsensitivity to GABA during amygdala kindling can be correlated with the Stage to which an animal has been kindled. That is, when measured 4 weeks after the last kindled seizure, dorsal raphe neurons are supersensitive to GABA following a Stage 2 seizure, not different from controls following a Stage 3 seizure and subsensitive to GABA following a Stage 5 seizure. In addition, subsensitivity to GABA appears to be permanent in that it is still measurable 3 months after the last Stage 5 seizure. Thus, amygdala kindling produces long-term, perhaps permanent, changes in neuronal sensitivity to GABA and these changes reflect the Stage to which an animal has been kindled.