Hippocampal kindling in the rat: intrastructural differences

Kindling patterns were compared in different regions of the hippocampus of the rat. The duration, morphology, and frequency of the electrical responses were different after stimulation of the dorsal and the ventral hippocampus, but these parameters showed the same evolution as kindling progressed. Comparison of the threshold intensity and of the kindling rate revealed some differences not only between dorsal and ventral hippocampus, but also within the dorsal hippocampus: The central layers had higher thresholds and longer kindling periods than the outer layers and the fimbria hippocampi. We suggest that stimulation of hippocampal efferents is responsible for the greater ease of kindling in the outer layers than in the central regions of this structure. The degree of connection of the different parts of the hippocampus with the amygdala and the influence of the intrinsic inhibitory GABAergic circuitry are discussed.