Kindling is an animal model of epilepsy induced by electrical stimulation of the brain. This model has attracted the interest of many neuroscientists, in part because it involves a robust, permanent modification of brain function. This report will describe the kindling phenomenon and critically review current understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The review will carefully consider whether this model accurately reflects analogous processes in humans. The review will consider some hypotheses inspired by the kindling studies which may be relevant to human epilepsy.