The effects of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (D-APV) and phencyclidine (PCP), were studied in vitro on epileptiform activity induced in magnesium-free solution in neurons of the basolateral amygdala of the rat, using intracellular recording techniques. Twenty to 30 min after switching to magnesium-free medium, spontaneous interictal-like events were observed in 33 out of 37 amygdala slices. The spontaneous interictal-like events consisted of an initial burst followed by a number of afterdischarges. Superfusion with D-APV, a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, reversibly reduced the duration of the events was also reduced. The IC50, estimated from the graph of the concentration-response relationship, was approximately 10 microM which is close to the IC50 for the binding of D-AVP to the NMDA receptor in other regions of the brain. The effect of phencyclidine, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, was similar to that of D-APV. These results suggest that activation of NMDA receptors plays an intrinsic role in the induction or propagation of epileptiform activity seen in magnesium-free solution in the neurons of the amygdala.