Amygdaloid kindling enhances the enkephalin content in the rat brain.

Established amygdaloid kindling causes an increase in the immunoassayable content of both Leuenkephalin and Met-enkephalin in the rat brain. Control and sham-operated (electrode implanted but not stimulated) rats do not show statistically significant differences in brain enkephalin content, while kindled rats show a 40% enkephalin increase in both hemispheres. The present finding is in agreement with several lines of evidence and suggest that enkephalins may play a role in epileptic seizures.