Modification of amygdala kindling by intracerebroventricularly administered gangliosides in rats.

The present study evaluated the effects of intracerebroventricularly (icv) administered total brain gangliosides on amygdala (AM) kindling in rats. The results showed the following: (i) exogenously injected gangliosides (0.4 and 0.8 mg/4 microliter) significantly decreased the afterdischarge threshold (ADT) in a dose-dependent manner; (ii) both 0.8 and 0.25 mg gangliosides significantly facilitated AM-kindled seizure development and shortened total AD duration when AM stimulation was given at 2-h intervals, especially in the late stages of kindling (stages 3-5); (iii) the facilitated kindled epileptogenesis by gangliosides was maintained persistently for more than 2 weeks; (iv) 0.25 mg gangliosides did not affect previously kindled seizures; (v) 0.8 mg gangliosides had a proconvulsant action in both nonkindled and kindled rats; and (vi) epileptiform responses to gangliosides markedly increased during kindling and remained increased for at least 5 weeks after kindling. It is concluded that gangliosides in neuronal membranes in the CNS may play an important role in the permanent hyperexcitability of kindled epileptogenesis.