Object: The long-term antiseizure effects of local convection-enhanced infusion of the excitotoxin ibotenate were examined in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy.
Methods: A single injection of kainate, an epileptogenic excitatory amino acid, into the left amygdala elicited chronic spontaneous recurrent seizure activity for at least 36 days after the injection. Two weeks after the injection, infusion of ibotenate, a nonepileptogenic excitatory amino acid that is an axon-sparing neuronal cell toxin, into the left amygdala and piriform lobe induced immediate and permanent extinction of electrical and behavioral seizure activity.
Conclusions: Lesioning of an epileptic focus by convective distribution of ibotenate can produce an enduring suppression of seizure activity, indicating a chemical neurosurgical approach for epilepsy therapy.