Attenuation of epileptogenesis: proactive effect of a single epinephrine injection of amygdaloid kindling.

Repeated daily electrical stimulation of the amygdala can lead to a progressive increase in brain and behavioral seizures. This phenomenon, termed kindling, has been viewed as a model for epileptogenesis. The results reported here demonstrate that a single systemic epinephrine injection can significantly retard such epileptogenesis for a period of at least several days. These findings suggest that peripheral catecholamines, responding either to stress near the time of seizure initiation or to treatments administered at that time, may be important in regulating the development of epileptic states. In addition, the results indicate that an acute episode of high plasma epinephrine levels may result in a durable modification of brain function.