Anticonvulsant effects of N6‐cyclohexyladenosine microinjected into the CA1 region of the hippocampus on entorhinal cortex‐kindled seizures in rats

In this study, the role of adenosine A1 receptors of the hippocampal CA1 region in entorhinal cortex‐kindled seizures was investigated in rats. Animals were kindled by daily electrical stimulation of the entorhinal cortex. In fully kindled rats, N6‐cyclohexyladenosine (CHA; a selective A1 receptor agonist) and 1, 3‐dimethyl‐8‐cyclopenthylxanthine (CPT; a selective A1 receptor antagonist) were microinfused bilaterally into the hippocampal CA1 region. Rats were stimulated and seizure parameters were measured. Results obtained showed that CHA (10 and 50 μ moles) decreased the afterdischarge duration (ADD) in the hippocampal CA1 region and entorhinal cortex, stage 5 seizure duration (S5D) and seizure duration (SD) only at the dose of 50 μ moles, and significantly increased the latency to stage 4 (S4L). Intrahippocampal CPT increased ADD and S5D, and significantly reduced the latency to stage 4 (S4L) at the dose of 10 lmoles. Pretreatment of rats with CPT (5 μ moles) before CHA (50 μ moles), significantly reduced the effect of CHA on seizure parameters. The results suggest that the CA1 region of the hippocampus plays an important role in spreading seizure spikes from the entorhinal cortex to other brain regions and activation of adenosine A1 receptors in this region participates in the anticonvulsant effects of adenosine agonists.