Modulation of paroxysmal activity in the hippocampus by caudate stimulation in the chronic cat.

Afterdischarges in the dorsal hippocampus (HADs) were studied in freely-moving cats with implanted electrodes following threshold stimulation of the mirror-image point on the contralateral side. Marked inhibition, similar so that seen in acute animals, was observed when the test stimulation was immediately preceded by a conditioning stimulus applied to the caudate nucleus. The inhibitory effect appeared to be larger in these chronic animals than in the acute preparations previously studied, probably because of the total absence of anaesthesia during the recording session. When the HAD is preceded by caudate stimulation, its duration can be graduated by the intensity of the hippocampal test stimulation. The results are discussed in terms of a possible modulation induced directly or indirectly by the caudate nucleus in the hippocampus, which reacts in a gradual manner to the excitatory volley.