To devise more effective methods for treatment of epilepsy intractable by conventional modern medical therapy or surgical intervention, we explored the feasibility of brain grafts of GABAergic brain tissue to specific brain areas in rat models of epilepsy. We worked with two satisfactory experimental epilepsy models in the laboratory: audiogenic seizures in genetically predisposed rats and amygdala kindled rats. This work, reported in part in September 1987, was completed in the fall and winter of 1987. Nine rats completed the kindling- endopiriform-graft protocol and 14 GEPRs completed the inferior colliculus or ventricular adrenal graft protocol. As previously reported (September 1987 progress report), kindled rats with cortical (n=2) or cerebellar (n=l) grafts to endopiriform areas showed a transient (2-4 weeks) increase in kindled seizure threshold commencing 4-5 weeks after transplant. GEPRs had no change in latency or intensity of seizures following cerebellar grafts to inferior colliculus. We can now report, in addition, that GEPR latency and severity were unaffected by adrenal medulla grafts in lateral ventricle wall bilaterally.
