Epilepsy-associated alterations in GABA-A receptor subunit mRNA expression and function have been demonstrated in rat dentate granule cells (DGCs)(Brooks-Kayal et al., Nat. Med., 4(10) 1998; Rikhter et al., SFN Abstr. 1999). To further investigate the function of inhibitory and excitatory receptors in the latent period prior to the development of temporal lobe epilepsy, GABA-A, NMDA and non-NMDA receptor-mediated currents were examined in acutely isolated DGCs using whole cell patch clamp techniques. The amplitude of GABA-A and non-NMDA receptor-mediated currents were both significantly decreased in the DGCs of rats one week post pilocarpine-induced SE. The capacitance normalized current densities in response to application of GABA (1 mM) or kainate (1 mM along with 100 μM cyclothiazide) were decreased 48.2% {from 220.8 ± 17.0 (pA/pF; n = 39) to 114.3 ± 21.8 (pA/pF; n =32); mean ± SEM} and 45.2% {from 108.1 ± 10.1 (pA/pF; n =40) to 59.2 ± 11.1 (pA/pF; n =31)} respectively. In contrast, NMDA (100 μM along w...