Progesterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate retard the development of amygdala kidling in male rats

The effect of progesterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate [MPA] on the development and expression of amygdala kindled seizures was studied in adult male rats. Rats were treated with either daily intraperitoneal progesterone[60 mg/kg] or weekly intramuscular MPA [25 mg/kg] during the development of kindling. Progesterone retarded both focal and generalization stages of kindling at the 10 min. injection-stimulation interval, while MPA only retarded the generalization stage. However, neither of the drugs had any effect on afterdischarge and stage 5 seizure duration after full kindling. These results suggest that progesterone antiepileptogenic effect results from inhibition of the development of both focal seizures and kindled seizure generalization