introduction: neural stimulation is a promising new technology for the treatment of medically-intractable seizures.  transcranial magnetic stimulation (tms) is a simple, non-invasive, low cost technique which is widely used in neurophysiology. in a few studies that have been performed at different frequencies the therapeutic effects of this technique were not obvious. repetition of low frequenc...

There are abundant studies indicating that blocking gap junctions (GJs) containing connexin 36 (Cx36) inhibit seizures. However, recent evidences demonstrate proconvulsant effect of such intervention. Electrical coupling between GABAergic interneurons in CA1 region of hippocampus is mediated through Cx36 GJs. We investigated effect of quinine, a specific blocker of Cx36, on the seizure severity...

The amygdala complex is one component of the temporal lobe that may be damaged unilaterally or bilaterally in children and adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) or following status epilepticus. Most MR (magnetic resonance) imaging studies of epileptic patients have shown that volume reduction of the amygdala ranges from 10-30%. In the human amygdala, neuronal loss and gliosis have been repor...

Ganaxolone (3alpha-hydroxy-3beta-methyl-5alpha-pregnan-20-one), a synthetic analog of the endogenous neurosteroid allopregnanolone and a positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, may represent a new treatment approach for epilepsy. Here we demonstrate that pretreatment with ganaxolone (1.25-20 mg/kg, s.c.) causes a dose-dependent suppression of behavioral and electrographic seizures in ...

2-Methyl-6-phenylethynyl-pyridine (MPEP), a selective noncompetitive mGluR5 antagonist, influences the action of conventional antiepileptic drugs in amygdala-kindled seizures in rats. MPEP alone (up to 40 mg/kg) did not affect any seizure parameter. Moreover, the common treatment of MPEP with either carbamazepine or phenytoin (administered at subeffective doses) did not result in any anticonvul...

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of 1-Hzbrain stimulation of the amygdala on kindling behavior induced by 60-Hz sine-wave stimulation in the contralateral amygdala. In Experiment 1, the effective threshold intensity (ETI) to elicit a kindled response with 60-Hz stimulation was determined on four separate occasions with 15 trials between determinations (three per day) for ...