TNF-alpha in cerebral cortex and cerebellum is affected by amygdalar kindling but not by stimulation of cerebellum.

One group of male Wistar rats was kindled by electrical stimulation (ES) of the amygdala, one group was sham operated, while other rats were stimulated in the paleocortex of the cerebellum. The kindled generalized clonictonic seizures were followed by a net increase of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) content both in the cerebral cortex (from 34.7 +/- 6.0 to 76.7 +/- 6.9 pg/mg of wet brain tissue) and cerebellum (from 106.6 +/- 17.7 to 193.8 +/- 29.8 pg/mg of wet tissue) in comparison with the data from sham-operated animals. This effect was observed 24 h after the induction of the last kindled seizures. ES of the cerebellum (100 Hz) was not followed by any changes in TNF-alpha content in the cortex and cerebellum. Moreover, kindling was not followed by any changes in thiol/disulfide system, but ES of the paleocerebellum induced an increase in free thiol groups in the cortical tissue. It can be concluded that the increase in TNF-alpha content is specific for the kindling process and that the antiepileptic effects of cerebellar ES might be realized via an intensification of antioxidative processes in the neural tissue.