Effects of postnatal electroshock convulsions on epileptogenesis of the amygdala and hippocampus in adult rats.

Adult rats which received repeated electroshock convulsions (ESCs) during postnatal development underwent electrical kindling of the amygdala (AM) and hippocampus (HIPP). Completion of kindling, especially AM kindling, was significantly faster in the groups with ESCs from the neonatal to late infantile age than in the control group. It is discussed that especially the late infantile age in the postnatal development was supposed to play an important role in the faster kindling brought about by postnatal convulsions and that the faster kindling was due in part to abbreviation of the partial seizure process. However, the neonatal ESC group showed significantly delayed completion of HIPP kindling.