Hippocampal slices of kindled rats reveal calcium involvement in epileptogenesis

Daily repeated tetanic electrical stimulation (kindling) of the brain may cause a long term enhancement of synaptic transmission and epileptiform activity of progressive severity and generalisation, eventually leading to spontaneous seizures. Evidence for a cellular mechanism underlying kindling has been obtained in vitro in slices from the hippocampus of kindled rats. A marked enhancement in extracellular calcium changes, induced by electrical stimulation or by iontophoresis of excitatory aminoacids was found in kindled tissue. This implies that changes in dendritic calcium conductances are involved in kindling epileptogenesis.