ATTENUATION OF HIPPOCAMPAL KAINIC ACID-INDUCED SEIZURES BY SUBSTANCE-P TREATMENT

Adult male Wistar rats (n = 21) received bilateral kainic acid lesions of their hippocampi. Over a period of 9 weeks the animals received daily IP injections of either 5 mu g/kg or 50 mu g/kg substance P (SP) or vehicle. Seizures provoked by the lesions were suppressed by the daily administration of the neuropeptide SP in a dose of 50 mu g/kg for the whole period of observation. The neurokinin significantly (p < 0.01) reduced the number of seizures compared to the vehicle-treated animals.