Cortical catecholamine changes and seizures induced by 4-aminopyridine in awake rats, studied with a dual microdialysis-electrical recording technique.

We describe a rotatory electrical device that permits the simultaneous microdialysis and electroencephalographic (EEG) recording, by means of bipolar electrodes attached to the microdialysis probe, in two brain regions of awake rats. Using this device, we have found that the microdialysis infusion of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) in the motor cerebral cortex produces intense behavioral convulsions and EEG seizures in both the infused and the contralateral cortex. This convulsant action is accompanied by a remarkable increase of extracellular dopamine (about 15-fold), norepinephrine (2.4-fold) and vanillylmandelic acid (1.8-fold) concentration in the infused cortex. Delayed increases of these amines were observed also in the contralateral cortex. The results suggest that 4-AP induces the release of catecholamines either through a direct effect on nerve endings or as a consequence of seizures.