Effects of Kindling on Spatial Memory

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder defined by the recurrence of spontaneous seizures affecting ∼2% of the population in North America.1 There are a variety of distinct subtypes of the disorder with the most common, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), accounting for about 55% of all cases.1, 2 While the seizures themselves can be significantly debilitating, the clinical impact of TLE is exacerbated by the fact that about half of all sufferers exhibit serious disturbances of affect and/or memory function.3–6 At present, the mechanisms of these TLE-associated psychological impairments are unknown and, although recent studies have begun to explore the potential effectiveness of behavioral interventions,7,8 there is no treatment currently available. Consequently, these problems are often neglected clinically and have a significant adverse effect on patient quality of life.9 There is a clear need, then, for research to provide a better understanding of the bases for epilepsy-associated psychological disturbances and to develop effective treatment strategies. Clinical studies, however, are challenging because of the large number of potentially relevant but difficult to control variables. Thus, progress relies heavily on work with suitable animal models. The present chapter reviews studies on one such model — kindling in rats, and describes characteristics of spatial memory changes in this model, their relation to kindling-related variables, and potential mediating mechanisms.