title: Electrical amygdala kindling in alcohol-withdrawal kindled rats.
abstract: Repeated alcohol withdrawal has been shown to kindle seizure activity. The purpose of the present investigation was to study electrical amygdala kindling in rats previously exposed to alcohol-withdrawal kindling. In three independent experiments, male Wistar rats were subjected to multiple episodes each consisting of 2 days of severe alcohol intoxication and 5 days of alcohol withdrawal. In the first experiment, the alcohol-withdrawal kindled animals were divided into two groups depending on whether spontaneous alcohol-withdrawal seizures were observed in episodes 10-13. In the second and third experiments, the alcohol-withdrawal kindled animals were compared to a group in which alcohol-withdrawal kindling was prevented by diazepam treatment during the withdrawal reactions in order to discriminate between the effect of withdrawal and intoxication. Electrical kindling was initiated 28-35 days after the last alcohol dose by exposing the animals to daily electrical stimulations of the right amygdala. The results showed that amygdala kindling was facilitated in alcohol-withdrawal kindled animals which showed spontaneous withdrawal seizure activity, compared with animals exposed to multiple episodes of alcohol withdrawal which did not develop withdrawal seizures or with animals exposed to a single episode of alcohol intoxication. When compared to the control group, the alcohol-withdrawal kindled group with seizures also kindled at a faster rate, but the difference did not reach statistical significance and therefore the results must be regarded as preliminary at present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry O-6234, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ulrichsen
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Woldbye
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clemmesen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haugbøl
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laursen
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Bolwig
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hemmingsen
mesh_terms: D000430:Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000503:physiopathology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D003975:Diazepam