Kindling of the hippocampus and septum in vasopressin-deficient rats (Brattleboro strain).

Homozygous and heterozygous Brattleboro rats deficient in central vasopressin and Long-Evans control rats were electrically kindled in the ventral hippocampus or lateral septum. The homozygous and heterozygous Brattleboro groups stimulated in the ventral hippocampus or lateral septum kindled significantly faster than the respective Long-Evans control groups. The accelerated kindling rate of the Brattleboro groups is attributed to faster seizure development during the early seizure stages. These results suggest that vasopressin may be involved in the kindling of convulsions from limbic structures where it is normally found.