In the present study glutamate decarboxylase immunoreactivity (GAD-IR) was used to quantify GABAergic neurons in the hippocampus of rats exhibiting spontaneous recurrent seizures following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus. Histological examination demonstrated marked neuronal damage to hippocampal neurons. However, in the same region, GAD-IR neurons were preserved. The present data demonstrate a selective resistance of GABAergic neurons to status epilepticus-induced neuronal damage, suggesting that loss of hippocampal GABAergic neurons does not underlie the recurrence of seizures in these animals.