Induction and maintenance of epileptiform activity in the rabbit olfactory bulb depends on centrifugal input

A technique of cryogenic blockade was used in waking rabbits to produce complete and reversible isolation of the olfactory bulb from the rest of the brain. During cooling of the olfactory peduncle epileptiform activity occurred spontaneously in the pyriform cortex in 3 out of 20 sessions, but never in the bulb. Following removal of the cryoblockade, during the seizure state, epileptiform discharges appeared simultaneously in the bulb and pyriform cortex. In the control state, without cooling of the peduncle, epileptiform activity could be evoked in the bulb and cortex by intense electrical stimulation of either the bulb or the lateral olfactory tract. During the cryoblockade, however, intense stimulation of the bulb failed to evoke seizure-like discharges. The results demonstrate a dependency on more central olfactory structures for the induction and maintenance of epileptiform activity in the olfactory bulb.