MK-801 PREVENTS THE DECREASE IN S-35 TBPS BINDING IN THE RAT CEREBRAL-CORTEX INDUCED BY PENTYLENETETRAZOL KINDLING

Chemical kindling was induced in the rat by chronic treatment with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 30 mg/kg, IP, three times a week for eight weeks). PTZ kindling was associated with a reduction in central GABAergic function, as reflected by a significant decrease in the density of S-35-t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (S-35-TBPS) binding sites in the cerebral cortex. The pretreatment with the noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 (1 mg/kg, IP, 40 min before each PTZ injection) prevented the development of kindling as well as the reduction in S-35-TBPS binding. The results suggest that NMDA receptors may play a role in the alterations of GABAergic function observed in PTZ-kindled rats.