Facilitation of kindling in adult rats following neonatal exposure to lindane

Neonatal male rats were exposed to lindane or corn oil directly by gavage or indirectly by maternal exposure. All surviving offspring were implanted with amygdaloid electrodes 90 days after weaning. Amygdaloid kindling began 10 days later using standard procedures. Neonatal lindane-exposed rats kindled significantly faster (9.9 ± 0.5 days) than control groups (11.2 + 0.5 days). Lindane-exposed rats tended to have longer and more severe seizures than did non-exposed rats on each trial during kindling acquisition. These findings demonstrate that high exposures of lindane during development can lead to enduring changes in the nervous system that facilitate adult kindling.