Effect of amygdaloid kindling on rat striatal dopamine D1- and D2-receptors.

The effect of kindling on dopaminergic (DA) neurotransmission was assessed by measuring dopamine D1- and D2-receptor binding in the dorsal and ventral striatum of rats either 2 hours (short-term) or 3-4 weeks (long-term) after the last kindled seizure. Kindling did not have any significant long-term effect on DA D2-receptor Kd or Bmax values in the dorsal or ventral striatum or on DA D1-receptor parameters in the dorsal striatum. The short-term effect of kindled seizures was to abolish the asymmetry in DA D2-receptor density observed in the dorsal striatum of control rats. DA D1-receptor density was also increased in the dorsal striatum contralateral to the kindled amygdala of short-term rats. The short-term effects support the notion that limbic seizures can modify the lateral imbalance of DA activity in the striatum.