Corticotropin‐releasing hormone–induced seizures in infant rats originate in the amygdala

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Abstract
The neuroanatomical substrate of seizures induced by picomolar amounts of corticotropin‐releasing hormone in infant rats was investigated. Electrographic and behavioral phenomena were monitored in 42 rat pups aged 5 to 22 days. Rat pups carried bipolar electrodes implanted in subcortical limbic structures, as well as cortical electrodes and intracerebroventricular cannulae. The administration of corticotropin‐releasing hormone produced age‐specific seizures within minutes, which correlated with rhythmic amygdala discharges. Paroxysmal hippocampal and cortical discharges developed subsequently in some rats. Corticotropin‐releasing hormone–induced electrographic and behavioral seizures originate in the amygdala.