Amygdala kindling does not alter the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-channel complex which modulates dopamine release in the rat striatum and amygdala.

Kindling is suggested to be critically associated with enhancement of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type excitatory amino acid synaptic transmission. The present study examined effects of kindling on NMDA-induced dopamine (DA) efflux from slices of the rat striatum and amygdala. When assayed 5-7 days after the last evoked seizure, no difference was observed between kindled and non-kindled striatum in the ability of NMDA to induce DA release, or in the effect of MK-801 or 7-chlorokynurenic acid to inhibit the amino acid-induced transmitter release. The present study revealed that NMDA receptors are also involved in the modulation of DA release in the amygdala. However, no difference was observed between kindled and non-kindled amygdala in the ability of NMDA to induce DA release. These results suggest that amygdala kindling does not alter activity of the NMDA receptor-channel complex modulating DA release in the striatum and amygdala.