Characteristics of accelerated kindling after depletion of noradrenaline in adult rats.

The characteristics and pattern of the acceleration of kindling produced by 6-hydroxydopamine-induced depletion of noradrenaline (NA) were investigated in adult rats receiving electrical stimulation of the amygdala once daily. NA-depleted rats developed generalized seizures very rapidly by spending significantly less time than controls in the early stages of nonconvulsive or partial seizures, and they required significantly less cumulative total time in afterdischarge than controls to develop generalized seizures. The results suggest that attempts to identify noradrenergic correlates of kindling should be directed to the early stages of seizure development.