Autoradiographic analysis of serotonin receptors and transporter in kindled rat brain

While serotonin (5-HT) has been shown to be anticonvulsant in several types of experimentally induced seizures, 5-HT receptor binding has not been investigated in the kindling model of epilepsy. The present study examined the effects of amygdala kindling on two 5-HT receptor subtypes and on the 5-HT transporter in rat brain. Kindling induced a persistent bilateral increase in 5-HT1A binding in the dentate gyrus, while 5-HT1B receptors increased only in a delayed fashion. Binding to the 5-HT transporter was transiently decreased in dentate gyrus. In cerebral cortex, binding of the three ligands was unchanged. Alterations in 5-HT receptors and the 5-HT transporter may endogenously modulate kindled seizures. Additionally, autoradiography of adenosine A1 receptors revealed no change for these receptors in any brain region.