CHANGES OF NEUROPEPTIDES CONTENTS, IMMUNOREACTIVE SOMATOSTATIN AND THYROTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE (TRH), IN CEREBROSPINAL FLUID AND BRAIN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAT AMYGDALOID KINDLING

Recently much attention has been paid to neuropeptides, especially somatostatin (SRIF) and TRH, as endogenous epileptic inhibitors and promotors. In order to examine the relationship between the development of epilepsy and neuropeptides, and to know if neuropeptides in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be an index of its concentration in the brain, we examined the change of immunoreactive SRIF (IR-SRIF) and TRH in CSF and brain at each stage of progression in cat amygdaloid kindling model. SRIF is thought to be an endogenous epileptic promotor, and to be involved in the development of epilepsy or the initiation of seizures. Our results suggest that the change in endogenous SRIF may be involved in the development of epilepsy, especially during later stages, in amygdaloid kindled cats. On the other hand, TRH is thought to be an endogenous epileptic inhibitor and TRH is actually used as an antiepileptic drug. Our results suggest that TRH may be involved in the initiation of seizures. Clinically neuropeptides of various central nervous system disorders in CSF are being studied, but whether neuropeptides in CSF can be an index of its concentration in the brain is yet unknown. Our results suggest that IR-SRIF in CSF can be considered as such an index, but TRH can not in amygdaloid kindled cat