MacDonald, Kaylea
Affective Pain Hypersensitivity in the Amygdala Kindling Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
To examine comorbid pain sensitivity, temporal lobe epilepsy was modeled with a 42-stimulation amygdala kindling paradigm using rats. Sham and kindled rats' mechanical allodynia was not different before the formalin conditioned place aversion (FCPA) test. FCPA behaviour was not different, but twenty-four hours later kindled rats showed mechanical allodynia. Thermal sensitivity 48 hours after FCPA was not different. A second experiment revealed no difference in pre- and interictal mechanical and thermal sensitivity. Kindled rats did display a higher frequency of pain behaviours in the formalin nociceptive test, and greater early growth response 1 expression in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The final experiment examined FCPA behaviour of sham and kindled rats given an ACC infusion of control (EGFP), or inhibitory designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug (hM4Di). Kindled-EGFP rats did not spend a different amount of time in either compartment but Kindled-hM4Di rats spent more time in the formalin-paired compartment.
Author Keywords: Affective Pain, Amygdala Kindling, Emotion, Epilepsy, Pain