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Khan W, Chopra S, Zheng X, Liu S, Paszkowski P, Valcarce-Aspegren M, Sieu LA, Mcgill S, Mccafferty C, Blumenfeld H. Neuronal rhythmicity and cortical arousal in a mouse model of absence epilepsy. Exp Neurol 2024; 381:114925. [PMID: 39151596 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2024.114925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Absence seizures impair psychosocial function, yet their detailed neuronal basis remains unknown. Recent work in a rat model suggests that cortical arousal state changes prior to seizures and that single neurons show diverse firing patterns during seizures. Our aim was to extend these investigations to a mouse model with studies of neuronal activity and arousal state to facilitate future fundamental investigations of absence epilepsy. METHODS We performed in vivo extracellular single unit recordings on awake head-fixed C3H/HeJ mice. Mice were implanted with tripolar electrodes for cortical electroencephalography (EEG). Extracellular single unit recordings were obtained with glass micropipettes in the somatosensory barrel cortex, while animals ambulated freely on a running wheel. Signals were digitized and analyzed during seizures and at baseline. RESULTS Neuronal activity was recorded from 36 cortical neurons in 19 mice while EEG showed characteristic 7-8 Hz spike-wave discharges. Different single neurons showed distinct firing patterns during seizures, but the overall mean population neuronal firing rate during seizures was no different from pre-seizure baseline. However, the rhythmicity of neuronal firing during seizures was significantly increased (p < 0.001). In addition, beginning 10s prior to seizure initiation, we observed a progressive decrease in cortical high frequency (>40 Hz) EEG and an increase in lower frequency (1-39 Hz) activity suggesting decreased arousal state. SIGNIFICANCE We found that the awake head-fixed C3H/HeJ mouse model demonstrated rhythmic neuronal firing during seizures, and a decreased cortical arousal state prior to seizure onset. Unlike the rat model we did not observe an overall decrease in neuronal firing during seizures. Similarities and differences across species strengthen the ability to investigate fundamental key mechanisms. Future work in the mouse model will identify the molecular basis of neurons with different firing patterns, their role in seizure initiation and behavioral deficits, with ultimate translation to human absence epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waleed Khan
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Samiksha Chopra
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Xinyuan Zheng
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Shixin Liu
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Patrick Paszkowski
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | | | - Lim-Anna Sieu
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Sarah Mcgill
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Cian Mccafferty
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Hal Blumenfeld
- Department of Neurology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
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Stern MA, Dingledine R, Gross RE, Berglund K. Epilepsy insights revealed by intravital functional optical imaging. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1465232. [PMID: 39268067 PMCID: PMC11390408 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1465232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite an abundance of pharmacologic and surgical epilepsy treatments, there remain millions of patients suffering from poorly controlled seizures. One approach to closing this treatment gap may be found through a deeper mechanistic understanding of the network alterations that underly this aberrant activity. Functional optical imaging in vertebrate models provides powerful advantages to this end, enabling the spatiotemporal acquisition of individual neuron activity patterns across multiple seizures. This coupled with the advent of genetically encoded indicators, be them for specific ions, neurotransmitters or voltage, grants researchers unparalleled access to the intact nervous system. Here, we will review how in vivo functional optical imaging in various vertebrate seizure models has advanced our knowledge of seizure dynamics, principally seizure initiation, propagation and termination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Stern
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Raymond Dingledine
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Robert E Gross
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Ken Berglund
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Stenroos P, Guillemain I, Tesler F, Montigon O, Collomb N, Stupar V, Destexhe A, Coizet V, David O, Barbier EL. EEG-fMRI in awake rat and whole-brain simulations show decreased brain responsiveness to sensory stimulations during absence seizures. eLife 2024; 12:RP90318. [PMID: 38976325 PMCID: PMC11230625 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
In patients suffering absence epilepsy, recurring seizures can significantly decrease their quality of life and lead to yet untreatable comorbidities. Absence seizures are characterized by spike-and-wave discharges on the electroencephalogram associated with a transient alteration of consciousness. However, it is still unknown how the brain responds to external stimuli during and outside of seizures. This study aimed to investigate responsiveness to visual and somatosensory stimulation in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS), a well-established rat model for absence epilepsy. Animals were imaged under non-curarized awake state using a quiet, zero echo time, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sequence. Sensory stimulations were applied during interictal and ictal periods. Whole-brain hemodynamic responses were compared between these two states. Additionally, a mean-field simulation model was used to explain the changes of neural responsiveness to visual stimulation between states. During a seizure, whole-brain responses to both sensory stimulations were suppressed and spatially hindered. In the cortex, hemodynamic responses were negatively polarized during seizures, despite the application of a stimulus. The mean-field simulation revealed restricted propagation of activity due to stimulation and agreed well with fMRI findings. Results suggest that sensory processing is hindered or even suppressed by the occurrence of an absence seizure, potentially contributing to decreased responsiveness during this absence epileptic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petteri Stenroos
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Isabelle Guillemain
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Federico Tesler
- Paris-Saclay University, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences (NeuroPSI), France, Saclay, France
| | - Olivier Montigon
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, US17, CNRS, UAR 3552, CHU Grenoble Alpes, IRMaGe, Grenoble, France
| | - Nora Collomb
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, US17, CNRS, UAR 3552, CHU Grenoble Alpes, IRMaGe, Grenoble, France
| | - Vasile Stupar
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, US17, CNRS, UAR 3552, CHU Grenoble Alpes, IRMaGe, Grenoble, France
| | - Alain Destexhe
- Paris-Saclay University, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences (NeuroPSI), France, Saclay, France
| | - Veronique Coizet
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Olivier David
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Emmanuel L Barbier
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, US17, CNRS, UAR 3552, CHU Grenoble Alpes, IRMaGe, Grenoble, France
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4
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Groulx-Boivin E, Bouchet T, Myers KA. Understanding of Consciousness in Absence Seizures: A Literature Review. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2024; 20:1345-1353. [PMID: 38947367 PMCID: PMC11212660 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s391052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Absence seizures are classically associated with behavioral arrest and transient deficits in consciousness, yet substantial variability exists in the severity of the impairment. Despite several decades of research on the topic, the pathophysiology of absence seizures and the mechanisms underlying behavioral impairment remain unclear. Several rationales have been proposed including widespread cortical deactivation, reduced perception of external stimuli, and transient suspension of the default mode network, among others. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the neural correlates of impaired consciousness in absence seizures. We review evidence from studies using animal models of absence epilepsy, electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, positron emission tomography, and single photon emission computed tomography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Groulx-Boivin
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Tasha Bouchet
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kenneth A Myers
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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5
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Streng ML, Kottke BW, Wasserman EM, Zecker L, Luong L, Ebner TJ, Krook-Magnuson E. Early and widespread engagement of the cerebellum during hippocampal epileptiform activity Format: Brief Communication. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.14.593969. [PMID: 38798649 PMCID: PMC11118491 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.14.593969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Despite research illustrating the cerebellum may be a critical circuit element in the epilepsies, remarkably little is known about cerebellar engagement during seizures. We therefore implemented a novel method for repeated imaging of the cerebellum in awake, chronically epileptic animals. We found widespread changes in cerebellar calcium signals during behavioral seizures and during hippocampal seizures that remained electrographic only, arguing against cerebellar modulation simply reflecting motor components. Moreover, even brief interictal spikes produced widespread alterations in cerebellar activity. Changes were noted in the anterior and posterior cerebellum, along the midline, and both ipsilaterally and contralaterally to the seizure focus. Remarkably, changes in the cerebellum also occurred prior to any noticeable change in the hippocampal electrographic recordings, suggesting a special relationship between the cerebellum and hippocampal epileptiform activity. Together these results underscore the importance of the cerebellum in epilepsy, warranting a more consistent consideration of the cerebellum when evaluating epilepsy patients.
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6
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Stern MA, Cole ER, Gross RE, Berglund K. Seizure event detection using intravital two-photon calcium imaging data. NEUROPHOTONICS 2024; 11:024202. [PMID: 38274784 PMCID: PMC10809036 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.11.2.024202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Significance Intravital cellular calcium imaging has emerged as a powerful tool to investigate how different types of neurons interact at the microcircuit level to produce seizure activity, with newfound potential to understand epilepsy. Although many methods exist to measure seizure-related activity in traditional electrophysiology, few yet exist for calcium imaging. Aim To demonstrate an automated algorithmic framework to detect seizure-related events using calcium imaging-including the detection of pre-ictal spike events, propagation of the seizure wavefront, and terminal spreading waves for both population-level activity and that of individual cells. Approach We developed an algorithm for precise recruitment detection of population and individual cells during seizure-associated events, which broadly leverages averaged population activity and high-magnitude slope features to detect single-cell pre-ictal spike and seizure recruitment. We applied this method to data recorded using awake in vivo two-photon calcium imaging during pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in mice. Results We demonstrate that our detected recruitment times are concordant with visually identified labels provided by an expert reviewer and are sufficiently accurate to model the spatiotemporal progression of seizure-associated traveling waves. Conclusions Our algorithm enables accurate cell recruitment detection and will serve as a useful tool for researchers investigating seizure dynamics using calcium imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. Stern
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Eric R. Cole
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Robert E. Gross
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Ken Berglund
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
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7
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Moghimianavval H, Loi KJ, Hwang SW, Bashirzadeh Y, Liu AP. Light-based juxtacrine signaling between synthetic cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.05.574425. [PMID: 38260570 PMCID: PMC10802317 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.05.574425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Cell signaling through direct physical cell-cell contacts plays vital roles in biology during development, angiogenesis, and immune response. Intercellular communication mechanisms between synthetic cells constructed from the bottom up are majorly reliant on diffusible chemical signals, thus limiting the range of responses in receiver cells. Engineering contact-dependent signaling between synthetic cells promises to unlock more complicated signaling schemes with different types of responses. Here, we design and demonstrate a light-activated contact-dependent communication tool for synthetic cells. We utilize a split bioluminescent protein to limit signal generation exclusively to contact interfaces of synthetic cells, driving the recruitment of a photoswitchable protein in receiver cells, akin to juxtacrine signaling in living cells. Our modular design not only demonstrates contact-dependent communication between synthetic cells but also provides a platform for engineering orthogonal contact-dependent signaling mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kyle J. Loi
- Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sung-Won Hwang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
| | - Yashar Bashirzadeh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Allen P. Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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8
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Neuparth-Sottomayor M, Pina CC, Morais TP, Farinha-Ferreira M, Abreu DS, Solano F, Mouro F, Good M, Sebastião AM, Di Giovanni G, Crunelli V, Vaz SH. Cognitive comorbidities of experimental absence seizures are independent of anxiety. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 186:106275. [PMID: 37648038 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Typical absence seizures (ASs) are brief periods of lack of consciousness, associated with 2.5-4 Hz spike-wave discharges (SWDs) in the EEG, which are highly prevalent in children and teenagers. The majority of probands in these young epileptic cohorts show neuropsychological comorbidities, including cognitive, memory and mood impairments, even after the seizures are pharmacologically controlled. Similar cognition and memory deficits have been reported in different, but not all, genetic animal models of ASs. However, since these impairments are subtle and highly task-specific their presence may be confounded by an anxiety-like phenotype and no study has tested anxiety and memory in the same animals. Moreover, the majority of studies used non-epileptic inbred animals as the only control strain and this may have contributed to a misinterpretation of these behavioural results. To overcome these issues, here we used a battery of behavioural tests to compare anxiety and memory in the same animals from the well-established inbred model of Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS), their inbred strain of Non-Epileptic Control (NEC) strain (that lack ASs) and normal outbred Wistar rats. We found that GAERS do not exhibit increased anxiety-like behavior and neophobia compared to both NEC and Wistar rats. In contrast, GAERS show decreased spontaneous alternation, spatial working memory and cross-modal object recognition compared to both NEC and Wistar rats. Furthermore, GAERS preferentially used egocentric strategies to perform spatial memory tasks. In summary, these results provide solid evidence of memory deficits in GAERS rats that do not depend on an anxiety or neophobic phenotype. Moreover, the presence of differences between NEC and Wistar rats stresses the need of using both outbred and inbred control rats in behavioural studies involving genetic models of ASs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Neuparth-Sottomayor
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carolina C Pina
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tatiana P Morais
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Miguel Farinha-Ferreira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Daniela Sofia Abreu
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Filipa Solano
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Francisco Mouro
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mark Good
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Maria Sebastião
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Vincenzo Crunelli
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sandra H Vaz
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal; Institute of Pharmacology and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
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9
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Stern MA, Cole ER, Gross RE, Berglund K. Seizure Event Detection Using Intravital Two-Photon Calcium Imaging Data. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.28.558338. [PMID: 37808822 PMCID: PMC10557641 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.28.558338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Significance Genetic cellular calcium imaging has emerged as a powerful tool to investigate how different types of neurons interact at the microcircuit level to produce seizure activity, with newfound potential to understand epilepsy. Although many methods exist to measure seizure-related activity in traditional electrophysiology, few yet exist for calcium imaging. Aim To demonstrate an automated algorithmic framework to detect seizure-related events using calcium imaging - including the detection of pre-ictal spike events, propagation of the seizure wavefront, and terminal spreading waves for both population-level activity and that of individual cells. Approach We developed an algorithm for precise recruitment detection of population and individual cells during seizure-associated events, which broadly leverages averaged population activity and high-magnitude slope features to detect single-cell pre-ictal spike and seizure recruitment. We applied this method to data recorded using awake in vivo two-photon calcium imaging during pentylenetetrazol induced seizures in mice. Results We demonstrate that our detected recruitment times are concordant with visually identified labels provided by an expert reviewer and are sufficiently accurate to model the spatiotemporal progression of seizure-associated traveling waves. Conclusions Our algorithm enables accurate cell recruitment detection and will serve as a useful tool for researchers investigating seizure dynamics using calcium imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. Stern
- Authors Contributed Equally
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Eric R. Cole
- Authors Contributed Equally
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Robert E. Gross
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ken Berglund
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Gallagher MJ. Neuronal Physiology of Generalized Seizures: The 4 Horsemen of Absence Epilepsy. Epilepsy Curr 2023; 23:262-264. [PMID: 37662465 PMCID: PMC10470100 DOI: 10.1177/15357597231172322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Decreased but Diverse Activity of Cortical and Thalamic Neurons in Consciousness-Impairing Rodent Absence Seizures McCafferty C, Gruenbaum BF, Tung R, Li JJ, Zheng X, Salvino P, Vincent P, Kratochvil Z, Ryu JH, Khalaf A, Swift K, Akbari R, Islam W, Antwi P, Johnson EA, Vitkovskiy P, Sampognaro J, Freedman IG, Kundishora A, Depaulis A, David F, Crunelli V, Sanganahalli BG, Herman P, Hyder F, Blumenfeld H. Nat Commun . 2023;14(1):117. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-35535-4 Absence seizures are brief episodes of impaired consciousness, behavioral arrest, and unresponsiveness, with yet-unknown neuronal mechanisms. Here we report that an awake female rat model recapitulates the behavioral, electroencephalographic, and cortical functional magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of human absence seizures. Neuronally, seizures feature overall decreased but rhythmic firing of neurons in cortex and thalamus. Individual cortical and thalamic neurons express one of four distinct patterns of seizure-associated activity, one of which causes a transient initial peak in overall firing at seizure onset, and another which drives sustained decreases in overall firing. 40-60 s before seizure onset there begins a decline in low frequency electroencephalographic activity, neuronal firing, and behavior, but an increase in higher frequency electroencephalography and rhythmicity of neuronal firing. Our findings demonstrate that prolonged brain state changes precede consciousness-impairing seizures, and that during seizures distinct functional groups of cortical and thalamic neurons produce an overall transient firing increase followed by a sustained firing decrease, and increased rhythmicity.
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11
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Crunelli V, David F, Morais TP, Lorincz ML. HCN channels and absence seizures. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 181:106107. [PMID: 37001612 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperpolarization-activation cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels were for the first time implicated in absence seizures (ASs) when an abnormal Ih (the current generated by these channels) was reported in neocortical layer 5 neurons of a mouse model. Genetic studies of large cohorts of children with Childhood Absence Epilepsy (where ASs are the only clinical symptom) have identified only 3 variants in HCN1 (one of the genes that code for the 4 HCN channel isoforms, HCN1-4), with one (R590Q) mutation leading to loss-of-function. Due to the multi-faceted effects that HCN channels exert on cellular excitability and neuronal network dynamics as well as their modulation by environmental factors, it has been difficult to identify the detailed mechanism by which different HCN isoforms modulate ASs. In this review, we systematically and critically analyze evidence from established AS models and normal non-epileptic animals with area- and time-selective ablation of HCN1, HCN2 and HCN4. Notably, whereas knockout of rat HCN1 and mouse HCN2 leads to the expression of ASs, the pharmacological block of all HCN channel isoforms abolishes genetically determined ASs. These seemingly contradictory results could be reconciled by taking into account the well-known opposite effects of Ih on cellular excitability and network function. Whereas existing evidence from mouse and rat AS models indicates that pan-HCN blockers may provide a novel approach for the treatment of human ASs, the development of HCN isoform-selective drugs would greatly contribute to current research on the role for these channels in ASs generation and maintenance as well as offer new potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Crunelli
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
| | - Francois David
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris University, Paris, France
| | - Tatiana P Morais
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Malta University, Msida, Malta
| | - Magor L Lorincz
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Department of Physiology, Szeged University, Szeged, Hungary.
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12
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Nwosu GI, Shen W, Zavalin K, Poliquin S, Randhave K, Flamm C, Biven M, Langer K, Kang JQ. GABA A Receptor β3 Subunit Mutation N328D Heterozygous Knock-in Mice Have Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8458. [PMID: 37176165 PMCID: PMC10179596 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) is a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) characterized by multiple seizure types, electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, and cognitive decline. Its etiology has a prominent genetic component, including variants in GABRB3 that encodes the GABAA receptor (GABAAR) β3 subunit. LGS has an unknown pathophysiology, and few animal models are available for studying LGS. The objective of this study was to evaluate Gabrb3+/N328D knock-in mice as a model for LGS. We generated a heterozygous knock-in mouse expressing Gabrb3 (c.A982G, p.N238D), a de novo mutation identified in a patient with LGS. We investigated Gabrb3+/N328D mice for features of LGS. In 2-4-month-old male and female C57BL/J6 wild-type and Gabrb3+/N328D mice, we investigated seizure severity using video-monitored EEG, cognitive impairment using a suite of behavioral tests, and profiled GABAAR subunit expression by Western blot. Gabrb3+/N328D mice showed spontaneous seizures and signs of cognitive impairment, including deficits in spatial learning, memory, and locomotion. Moreover, Gabrb3+/N328D mice showed reduced β3 subunit expression in the cerebellum, hippocampus, and thalamus. This phenotype of epilepsy and neurological impairment resembles the LGS patient phenotype. We conclude that Gabrb3+/N328D mice provide a good model for investigating the pathophysiology and therapeutic intervention of LGS and DEEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald Ikemefuna Nwosu
- Department of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, School of Graduate Studies, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Wangzhen Shen
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Kirill Zavalin
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Sarah Poliquin
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Karishma Randhave
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Carson Flamm
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Marshall Biven
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Katherine Langer
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Jing-Qiong Kang
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
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13
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McCafferty C, Gruenbaum BF, Tung R, Li JJ, Zheng X, Salvino P, Vincent P, Kratochvil Z, Ryu JH, Khalaf A, Swift K, Akbari R, Islam W, Antwi P, Johnson EA, Vitkovskiy P, Sampognaro J, Freedman IG, Kundishora A, Depaulis A, David F, Crunelli V, Sanganahalli BG, Herman P, Hyder F, Blumenfeld H. Decreased but diverse activity of cortical and thalamic neurons in consciousness-impairing rodent absence seizures. Nat Commun 2023; 14:117. [PMID: 36627270 PMCID: PMC9832004 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35535-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Absence seizures are brief episodes of impaired consciousness, behavioral arrest, and unresponsiveness, with yet-unknown neuronal mechanisms. Here we report that an awake female rat model recapitulates the behavioral, electroencephalographic, and cortical functional magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of human absence seizures. Neuronally, seizures feature overall decreased but rhythmic firing of neurons in cortex and thalamus. Individual cortical and thalamic neurons express one of four distinct patterns of seizure-associated activity, one of which causes a transient initial peak in overall firing at seizure onset, and another which drives sustained decreases in overall firing. 40-60 s before seizure onset there begins a decline in low frequency electroencephalographic activity, neuronal firing, and behavior, but an increase in higher frequency electroencephalography and rhythmicity of neuronal firing. Our findings demonstrate that prolonged brain state changes precede consciousness-impairing seizures, and that during seizures distinct functional groups of cortical and thalamic neurons produce an overall transient firing increase followed by a sustained firing decrease, and increased rhythmicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cian McCafferty
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | | | - Renee Tung
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Jing-Jing Li
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Xinyuan Zheng
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Peter Salvino
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Peter Vincent
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Zachary Kratochvil
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Jun Hwan Ryu
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Aya Khalaf
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Kohl Swift
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Rashid Akbari
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Wasif Islam
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Prince Antwi
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Emily A Johnson
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Petr Vitkovskiy
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - James Sampognaro
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Isaac G Freedman
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Adam Kundishora
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Antoine Depaulis
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - François David
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Vincenzo Crunelli
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Basavaraju G Sanganahalli
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Peter Herman
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Fahmeed Hyder
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Hal Blumenfeld
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
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14
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Schirmer C, Abboud MA, Lee SC, Bass JS, Mazumder AG, Kamen JL, Krishnan V. Home-cage behavior in the Stargazer mutant mouse. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12801. [PMID: 35896608 PMCID: PMC9329369 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17015-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In many childhood-onset genetic epilepsies, seizures are accompanied by neurobehavioral impairments and motor disability. In the Stargazer mutant mouse, genetic disruptions of Cacng2 result in absence-like spike-wave seizures, cerebellar gait ataxia and vestibular dysfunction, which limit traditional approaches to behavioral phenotyping. Here, we combine videotracking and instrumented home-cage monitoring to resolve the neurobehavioral facets of the murine Stargazer syndrome. We find that despite their gait ataxia, stargazer mutants display horizontal hyperactivity and variable rates of repetitive circling behavior. While feeding rhythms, circadian or ultradian oscillations in activity are unchanged, mutants exhibit fragmented bouts of behaviorally defined "sleep", atypical licking dynamics and lowered sucrose preference. Mutants also display an attenuated response to visual and auditory home-cage perturbations, together with profound reductions in voluntary wheel-running. Our results reveal that the seizures and ataxia of Stargazer mutants occur in the context of a more pervasive behavioral syndrome with elements of encephalopathy, repetitive behavior and anhedonia. These findings expand our understanding of the function of Cacng2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catharina Schirmer
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza St, Neurosensory BCM: MS NB302, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Mark A Abboud
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza St, Neurosensory BCM: MS NB302, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Samuel C Lee
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza St, Neurosensory BCM: MS NB302, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - John S Bass
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza St, Neurosensory BCM: MS NB302, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Arindam G Mazumder
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza St, Neurosensory BCM: MS NB302, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jessica L Kamen
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza St, Neurosensory BCM: MS NB302, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Vaishnav Krishnan
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza St, Neurosensory BCM: MS NB302, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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15
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Input rate encoding and gain control in dendrites of neocortical pyramidal neurons. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110382. [PMID: 35172157 PMCID: PMC8967317 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Elucidating how neurons encode network activity is essential to understanding how the brain processes information. Neocortical pyramidal cells receive excitatory input onto spines distributed along dendritic branches. Local dendritic branch nonlinearities can boost the response to spatially clustered and synchronous input, but how this translates into the integration of patterns of ongoing activity remains unclear. To examine dendritic integration under naturalistic stimulus regimes, we use two-photon glutamate uncaging to repeatedly activate multiple dendritic spines at random intervals. In the proximal dendrites of two populations of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mouse motor cortex, spatially restricted synchrony is not a prerequisite for dendritic boosting. Branches encode afferent inputs with distinct rate sensitivities depending upon cell and branch type. Thus, inputs distributed along a dendritic branch can recruit supralinear boosting and the window of this nonlinearity may provide a mechanism by which dendrites can preferentially amplify slow-frequency network oscillations.
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16
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Gorman KM, Peters CH, Lynch B, Jones L, Bassett DS, King MD, Ruben PC, Rosch RE. Persistent sodium currents in SCN1A developmental and degenerative epileptic dyskinetic encephalopathy. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab235. [PMID: 34755109 PMCID: PMC8568850 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic variants in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene (SCN1A) are amongst the most common genetic causes of childhood epilepsies. There is considerable heterogeneity in both the types of causative variants and associated phenotypes; a recent expansion of the phenotypic spectrum of SCN1A associated epilepsies now includes an early onset severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with regression and a hyperkinetic movement disorder. Herein, we report a female with a developmental and degenerative epileptic-dyskinetic encephalopathy, distinct and more severe than classic Dravet syndrome. Clinical diagnostics indicated a paternally inherited c.5053G>T; p. A1685S variant of uncertain significance in SCN1A. Whole-exome sequencing detected a second de novo mosaic (18%) c.2345G>A; p. T782I likely pathogenic variant in SCN1A (maternal allele). Biophysical characterization of both mutant channels in a heterologous expression system identified gain-of-function effects in both, with a milder shift in fast inactivation of the p. A1685S channels; and a more severe persistent sodium current in the p. T782I. Using computational models, we show that large persistent sodium currents induce hyper-excitability in individual cortical neurons, thus relating the severe phenotype to the empirically quantified sodium channel dysfunction. These findings further broaden the phenotypic spectrum of SCN1A associated epilepsies and highlight the importance of testing for mosaicism in epileptic encephalopathies. Detailed biophysical evaluation and computational modelling further highlight the role of gain-of-function variants in the pathophysiology of the most severe phenotypes associated with SCN1A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Gorman
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Colin H Peters
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Bryan Lynch
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laura Jones
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Dani S Bassett
- Departments of Bioengineering, Electrical & Systems Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, Neurology, and Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Mary D King
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Peter C Ruben
- Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Richard E Rosch
- Department of Paediatric Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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17
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Gobbo D, Scheller A, Kirchhoff F. From Physiology to Pathology of Cortico-Thalamo-Cortical Oscillations: Astroglia as a Target for Further Research. Front Neurol 2021; 12:661408. [PMID: 34177766 PMCID: PMC8219957 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.661408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The electrographic hallmark of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) and other idiopathic forms of epilepsy are 2.5-4 Hz spike and wave discharges (SWDs) originating from abnormal electrical oscillations of the cortico-thalamo-cortical network. SWDs are generally associated with sudden and brief non-convulsive epileptic events mostly generating impairment of consciousness and correlating with attention and learning as well as cognitive deficits. To date, SWDs are known to arise from locally restricted imbalances of excitation and inhibition in the deep layers of the primary somatosensory cortex. SWDs propagate to the mostly GABAergic nucleus reticularis thalami (NRT) and the somatosensory thalamic nuclei that project back to the cortex, leading to the typical generalized spike and wave oscillations. Given their shared anatomical basis, SWDs have been originally considered the pathological transition of 11-16 Hz bursts of neural oscillatory activity (the so-called sleep spindles) occurring during Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep, but more recent research revealed fundamental functional differences between sleep spindles and SWDs, suggesting the latter could be more closely related to the slow (<1 Hz) oscillations alternating active (Up) and silent (Down) cortical activity and concomitantly occurring during NREM. Indeed, several lines of evidence support the fact that SWDs impair sleep architecture as well as sleep/wake cycles and sleep pressure, which, in turn, affect seizure circadian frequency and distribution. Given the accumulating evidence on the role of astroglia in the field of epilepsy in the modulation of excitation and inhibition in the brain as well as on the development of aberrant synchronous network activity, we aim at pointing at putative contributions of astrocytes to the physiology of slow-wave sleep and to the pathology of SWDs. Particularly, we will address the astroglial functions known to be involved in the control of network excitability and synchronicity and so far mainly addressed in the context of convulsive seizures, namely (i) interstitial fluid homeostasis, (ii) K+ clearance and neurotransmitter uptake from the extracellular space and the synaptic cleft, (iii) gap junction mechanical and functional coupling as well as hemichannel function, (iv) gliotransmission, (v) astroglial Ca2+ signaling and downstream effectors, (vi) reactive astrogliosis and cytokine release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Gobbo
- Molecular Physiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany
| | - Anja Scheller
- Molecular Physiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany
| | - Frank Kirchhoff
- Molecular Physiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany
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18
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Two-photon calcium imaging of seizures in awake, head-fixed mice. Cell Calcium 2021; 96:102380. [PMID: 33676317 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceca.2021.102380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Epilepsy is a severe neurological disorder defined by spontaneous seizures. Current treatment options fail in a large proportion of patients, while questions as to the basic mechanisms of seizure initiation and propagation remain. Advances in imaging of seizures in experimental model systems could lead to a better understanding of mechanisms of seizures and epilepsy. Recent studies have used two-photon calcium imaging (2 P imaging) in awake, behaving mice in head-fixed preparations to image seizures in vivo at high speed and cellular-level resolution to identify key seizure-related cell classes. Here, we discuss such advances and present 2 P imaging data of excitatory neurons and defined subsets of cerebral cortex GABAergic inhibitory interneurons during naturalistic seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome (Scn1a+/- mice) along with other behavioral measures. Results demonstrate differential recruitment of discrete interneuron subclasses, which could inform mechanisms of seizure generation and propagation in Dravet syndrome and other epilepsies.
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19
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Deidda G, Crunelli V, Di Giovanni G. 5-HT/GABA interaction in epilepsy. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2021; 259:265-286. [PMID: 33541679 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2021.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by synchronous neuronal oscillations (seizures) in the electroencephalogram. Seizures are classified in focal or generalized (depending on the brain territory interested during seizures), and in convulsive and/or not convulsive (depending on the presence or not of involuntary movements). The current pharmacological treatments are mainly based on GABA modulation although different neurotransmitters are also involved in epilepsy, including serotonin. However despite much extensive progress in the understanding of epilepsy mechanisms, still, a percentage of people with epilepsy are pharmaco-resistant calling for the need for new therapeutic targets. Here we review preclinical and human evidence showing that serotonin modulates epilepsy that this likely happens via a major modulation/interaction with GABA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Deidda
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
| | - Vincenzo Crunelli
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; Neuroscience Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; Neuroscience Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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20
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Crunelli V, Lőrincz ML, McCafferty C, Lambert RC, Leresche N, Di Giovanni G, David F. Clinical and experimental insight into pathophysiology, comorbidity and therapy of absence seizures. Brain 2020; 143:2341-2368. [PMID: 32437558 PMCID: PMC7447525 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Absence seizures in children and teenagers are generally considered relatively benign because of their non-convulsive nature and the large incidence of remittance in early adulthood. Recent studies, however, show that 30% of children with absence seizures are pharmaco-resistant and 60% are affected by severe neuropsychiatric comorbid conditions, including impairments in attention, cognition, memory and mood. In particular, attention deficits can be detected before the epilepsy diagnosis, may persist even when seizures are pharmacologically controlled and are aggravated by valproic acid monotherapy. New functional MRI-magnetoencephalography and functional MRI-EEG studies provide conclusive evidence that changes in blood oxygenation level-dependent signal amplitude and frequency in children with absence seizures can be detected in specific cortical networks at least 1 min before the start of a seizure, spike-wave discharges are not generalized at seizure onset and abnormal cortical network states remain during interictal periods. From a neurobiological perspective, recent electrical recordings and imaging of large neuronal ensembles with single-cell resolution in non-anaesthetized models show that, in contrast to the predominant opinion, cortical mechanisms, rather than an exclusively thalamic rhythmogenesis, are key in driving seizure ictogenesis and determining spike-wave frequency. Though synchronous ictal firing characterizes cortical and thalamic activity at the population level, individual cortico-thalamic and thalamocortical neurons are sparsely recruited to successive seizures and consecutive paroxysmal cycles within a seizure. New evidence strengthens previous findings on the essential role for basal ganglia networks in absence seizures, in particular the ictal increase in firing of substantia nigra GABAergic neurons. Thus, a key feature of thalamic ictogenesis is the powerful increase in the inhibition of thalamocortical neurons that originates at least from two sources, substantia nigra and thalamic reticular nucleus. This undoubtedly provides a major contribution to the ictal decrease in total firing and the ictal increase of T-type calcium channel-mediated burst firing of thalamocortical neurons, though the latter is not essential for seizure expression. Moreover, in some children and animal models with absence seizures, the ictal increase in thalamic inhibition is enhanced by the loss-of-function of the astrocytic GABA transporter GAT-1 that does not necessarily derive from a mutation in its gene. Together, these novel clinical and experimental findings bring about paradigm-shifting views of our understanding of absence seizures and demand careful choice of initial monotherapy and continuous neuropsychiatric evaluation of affected children. These issues are discussed here to focus future clinical and experimental research and help to identify novel therapeutic targets for treating both absence seizures and their comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Crunelli
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.,Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, UK
| | - Magor L Lőrincz
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, UK.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.,Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Cian McCafferty
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Régis C Lambert
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine and Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Leresche
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Neuroscience Paris Seine and Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Paris, France
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.,Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, UK
| | - François David
- Cerebral dynamics, learning and plasticity, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center - UMR 8002, Paris, France
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21
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Weston MC. The Heated Relationship Between Neural Activity and Seizures. Epilepsy Curr 2020; 21:62-63. [PMID: 34025277 PMCID: PMC7863303 DOI: 10.1177/1535759720976371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Interneuron Desynchronization Precedes Seizures in a Mouse Model of Dravet Syndrome Tran CH, Vaiana M, Nakuci J, et al. J Neurosci. 2020 Mar 25;40(13):2764-2775. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2370-19.2020. Epub 2020 Feb 26. PMID: 32102923; PMCID: PMC7096149. Recurrent seizures, which define epilepsy, are transient abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain. The mechanistic basis of seizure initiation, and the contribution of defined neuronal subtypes to seizure pathophysiology, remains poorly understood. We performed in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging in neocortex during temperature-induced seizures in male and female Dravet syndrome (Scn1a+/−) mice, a neurodevelopmental disorder with prominent temperature-sensitive epilepsy. Mean activity of both putative principal cells and parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV-INs) was higher in Scn1a+/− relative to wild-type controls during quiet wakefulness at baseline and at elevated core body temperature. However, wild-type PV-INs showed a progressive synchronization in response to temperature elevation that was absent in PV-INs from Scn1a+/− mice. Hence, PV-IN activity remains intact interictally in Scn1a+/− mice, yet exhibits decreased synchrony immediately before seizure onset. We suggest that impaired PV-IN synchronization may contribute to the transition to the ictal state during temperature-induced seizures in Dravet syndrome.
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22
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Abstract
[Box: see text].
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23
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Hatcher A, Yu K, Meyer J, Aiba I, Deneen B, Noebels JL. Pathogenesis of peritumoral hyperexcitability in an immunocompetent CRISPR-based glioblastoma model. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:2286-2300. [PMID: 32250339 PMCID: PMC7190940 DOI: 10.1172/jci133316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Seizures often herald the clinical appearance of gliomas or appear at later stages. Dissecting their precise evolution and cellular pathogenesis in brain malignancies could inform the development of staged therapies for these highly pharmaco-resistant epilepsies. Studies in immunodeficient xenograft models have identified local interneuron loss and excess glial glutamate release as chief contributors to network disinhibition, but how hyperexcitability in the peritumoral microenvironment evolves in an immunocompetent brain is unclear. We generated gliomas in WT mice via in utero deletion of key tumor suppressor genes and serially monitored cortical epileptogenesis during tumor infiltration with in vivo electrophysiology and GCAMP7 calcium imaging, revealing a reproducible progression from hyperexcitability to convulsive seizures. Long before seizures, coincident with loss of inhibitory cells and their protective scaffolding, gain of glial glutamate antiporter xCT expression, and reactive astrocytosis, we detected local Iba1+ microglial inflammation that intensified and later extended far beyond tumor boundaries. Hitherto unrecognized episodes of cortical spreading depolarization that arose frequently from the peritumoral region may provide a mechanism for transient neurological deficits. Early blockade of glial xCT activity inhibited later seizures, and genomic reduction of host brain excitability by deleting MapT suppressed molecular markers of epileptogenesis and seizures. Our studies confirmed xenograft tumor-driven pathobiology and revealed early and late components of tumor-related epileptogenesis in a genetically tractable, immunocompetent mouse model of glioma, allowing the complex dissection of tumor versus host pathogenic seizure mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Jeffrey L. Noebels
- Department of Neuroscience
- Department of Neurology, and
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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Interneuron Desynchronization Precedes Seizures in a Mouse Model of Dravet Syndrome. J Neurosci 2020; 40:2764-2775. [PMID: 32102923 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2370-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent seizures, which define epilepsy, are transient abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain. The mechanistic basis of seizure initiation, and the contribution of defined neuronal subtypes to seizure pathophysiology, remains poorly understood. We performed in vivo two-photon calcium imaging in neocortex during temperature-induced seizures in male and female Dravet syndrome (Scn1a+/-) mice, a neurodevelopmental disorder with prominent temperature-sensitive epilepsy. Mean activity of both putative principal cells and parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV-INs) was higher in Scn1a+/- relative to wild-type controls during quiet wakefulness at baseline and at elevated core body temperature. However, wild-type PV-INs showed a progressive synchronization in response to temperature elevation that was absent in PV-INs from Scn1a+/- mice. Hence, PV-IN activity remains intact interictally in Scn1a+/- mice, yet exhibits decreased synchrony immediately before seizure onset. We suggest that impaired PV-IN synchronization may contribute to the transition to the ictal state during temperature-induced seizures in Dravet syndrome.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder defined by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. However, basic mechanisms of seizure initiation and propagation remain poorly understood. We performed in vivo two-photon calcium imaging in an experimental model of Dravet syndrome (Scn1a+/- mice)-a severe neurodevelopmental disorder defined by temperature-sensitive, treatment-resistant epilepsy-and record activity of putative excitatory neurons and parvalbumin-positive GABAergic neocortical interneurons (PV-INs) during naturalistic seizures induced by increased core body temperature. PV-IN activity was higher in Scn1a+/- relative to wild-type controls during quiet wakefulness. However, wild-type PV-INs showed progressive synchronization in response to temperature elevation that was absent in PV-INs from Scn1a+/- mice before seizure onset. Hence, impaired PV-IN synchronization may contribute to transition to seizure in Dravet syndrome.
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Spike-and-Wave Discharges Are Not Pathological Sleep Spindles, Network-Level Aspects of Age-Dependent Absence Seizure Development in Rats. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0253-19.2019. [PMID: 31862790 PMCID: PMC6944477 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0253-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) of absence epilepsy are considered as pathologic alterations of sleep spindles; however, their network-level relationship has never been convincingly revealed. In order to observe the development and generalization of the thalamocortical SWDs and the concomitant alterations of sleep related oscillations, we performed local field potential (LFP) and single unit recordings in rats for three months during their maturation. We found that while SWDs and spindles look similar in young, they become different with maturation and shift to appear in different brain states. Thus, despite being generated by the same network, they are likely two distinct manifestations of the thalamocortical activity. We show that while spindles are already mainly global oscillations, SWDs appear mainly only focally in young. They become capable to generalize later with maturation, when the out-of-focus brain regions develop a decreased inhibitory/excitatory balance. These results suggest that a hyperexcitable focus is not sufficient alone to drive generalized absence seizures. Importantly, we also found the gradual age dependent disappearance of sleep spindles coinciding with the simultaneous gradual emergence of spike and waves, which both could be reversed by the proper dosing of ethosuximide (ETX). Based on these observations we conclude that the absence seizure development might be a multi-step process, which might involve the functional impairment of cortical interneurons and network-level changes that negatively affect sleep quality.
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Burrows DRW, Samarut É, Liu J, Baraban SC, Richardson MP, Meyer MP, Rosch RE. Imaging epilepsy in larval zebrafish. Eur J Paediatr Neurol 2020; 24:70-80. [PMID: 31982307 PMCID: PMC7035958 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2020.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of the genetic aetiology of paediatric epilepsies has grown substantially over the last decade. However, in order to translate improved diagnostics to personalised treatments, there is an urgent need to link molecular pathophysiology in epilepsy to whole-brain dynamics in seizures. Zebrafish have emerged as a promising new animal model for epileptic seizure disorders, with particular relevance for genetic and developmental epilepsies. As a novel model organism for epilepsy research they combine key advantages: the small size of larval zebrafish allows high throughput in vivo experiments; the availability of advanced genetic tools allows targeted modification to model specific human genetic disorders (including genetic epilepsies) in a vertebrate system; and optical access to the entire central nervous system has provided the basis for advanced microscopy technologies to image structure and function in the intact larval zebrafish brain. There is a growing body of literature describing and characterising features of epileptic seizures and epilepsy in larval zebrafish. Recently genetically encoded calcium indicators have been used to investigate the neurobiological basis of these seizures with light microscopy. This approach offers a unique window into the multiscale dynamics of epileptic seizures, capturing both whole-brain dynamics and single-cell behaviour concurrently. At the same time, linking observations made using calcium imaging in the larval zebrafish brain back to an understanding of epileptic seizures largely derived from cortical electrophysiological recordings in human patients and mammalian animal models is non-trivial. In this review we briefly illustrate the state of the art of epilepsy research in zebrafish with particular focus on calcium imaging of epileptic seizures in the larval zebrafish. We illustrate the utility of a dynamic systems perspective on the epileptic brain for providing a principled approach to linking observations across species and identifying those features of brain dynamics that are most relevant to epilepsy. In the following section we survey the literature for imaging features associated with epilepsy and epileptic seizures and link these to observations made from humans and other more traditional animal models. We conclude by identifying the key challenges still facing epilepsy research in the larval zebrafish and indicate strategies for future research to address these and integrate more directly with the themes and questions that emerge from investigating epilepsy in other model systems and human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R W Burrows
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - É Samarut
- Department of Neurosciences, Research Center of the University of Montreal Hospital Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - J Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - S C Baraban
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - M P Richardson
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - M P Meyer
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - R E Rosch
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Paediatric Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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Aeed F, Shnitzer T, Talmon R, Schiller Y. Layer- and Cell-Specific Recruitment Dynamics during Epileptic Seizures In Vivo. Ann Neurol 2019; 87:97-115. [PMID: 31657482 DOI: 10.1002/ana.25628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the network dynamics mechanisms underlying differential initiation of epileptic interictal spikes and seizures. METHODS We performed combined in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging from different targeted neuronal subpopulations and extracellular electrophysiological recordings during 4-aminopyridine-induced neocortical spikes and seizures. RESULTS Both spikes and seizures were associated with intense synchronized activation of excitatory layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons (PNs) and to a lesser degree layer 4 neurons, as well as inhibitory parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (INs). In sharp contrast, layer 5 PNs and somatostatin-expressing INs were gradually and asynchronously recruited into the ictal activity during the course of seizures. Within layer 2/3, the main difference between onset of spikes and seizures lay in the relative recruitment dynamics of excitatory PNs compared to parvalbumin- and somatostatin-expressing inhibitory INs. Whereas spikes exhibited balanced recruitment of PNs and parvalbumin-expressing INs, during seizures IN responses were reduced and less synchronized than in layer 2/3 PNs. Similar imbalance was not observed in layers 4 or 5 of the neocortex. Machine learning-based algorithms we developed were able to distinguish spikes from seizures based solely on activation dynamics of layer 2/3 PNs at discharge onset. INTERPRETATION During onset of seizures, the recruitment dynamics markedly differed between neuronal subpopulations, with rapid synchronous recruitment of layer 2/3 PNs, layer 4 neurons, and parvalbumin-expressing INs and gradual asynchronous recruitment of layer 5 PNs and somatostatin-expressing INs. Seizures initiated in layer 2/3 due to a dynamic mismatch between local PNs and inhibitory INs, and only later spread to layer 5 by gradually and asynchronously recruiting PNs in this layer. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:97-115.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fadi Aeed
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tal Shnitzer
- Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronen Talmon
- Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yitzhak Schiller
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
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Panthi S, Leitch B. The impact of silencing feed-forward parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons in the cortico-thalamocortical network on seizure generation and behaviour. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 132:104610. [PMID: 31494287 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Feed-forward inhibition (FFI) is an essential mechanism within the brain, to regulate neuronal firing and prevent runaway excitation. In the cortico-thalamocortical (CTC) network, fast spiking parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) inhibitory interneurons regulate the firing of pyramidal cells in the cortex and relay neurons in the thalamus. PV+ interneuron dysfunction has been implicated in several neurological disorders, including epilepsy. Previously, we demonstrated that loss of excitatory AMPA-receptors, specifically at synapses on PV+ interneurons in CTC feedforward microcircuits, occurs in the stargazer mouse model of absence epilepsy. These mice present with absence seizures characterized by spike and wave discharges (SWDs) on electroencephalogram (EEG) and concomitant behavioural arrest, similar to childhood absence epilepsy. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of loss of FFI within the CTC on absence seizure generation and behaviour using new Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drug (DREADD) technology. We crossed PV-Cre mice with Cre-dependent hM4Di DREADD strains of mice, which allowed Cre-recombinase-mediated restricted expression of inhibitory Gi-DREADDs in PV+ interneurons. We then tested the impact of global and focal (within the CTC network) silencing of PV+ interneurons. CNO mediated silencing of all PV+ interneurons by intraperitoneal injection caused the impairment of motor control, decreased locomotion and increased anxiety in a dose-dependent manner. Such silencing generated pathological oscillations similar to absence-like seizures. Focal silencing of PV+ interneurons within cortical or thalamic feedforward microcircuits, induced SWD-like oscillations and associated behavioural arrest. Epileptiform activity on EEG appeared significantly sooner after focal injection compared to peripheral injection of CNO. However, the mean duration of each oscillatory burst and spike frequency was similar, irrespective of mode of CNO delivery. No significant changes were observed in vehicle-treated or non-DREADD wild-type control animals. These data suggest that dysfunctional feed-forward inhibition in CTC microcircuits may be an important target for future therapy strategies for some patients with absence seizures. Additionally, silencing of PV+ interneurons in other brain regions may contribute to anxiety related neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandesh Panthi
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, and Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Beulah Leitch
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, and Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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Huguenard J. Current Controversy: Spikes, Bursts, and Synchrony in Generalized Absence Epilepsy: Unresolved Questions Regarding Thalamocortical Synchrony in Absence Epilepsy. Epilepsy Curr 2019; 19:105-111. [PMID: 30955423 PMCID: PMC6610415 DOI: 10.1177/1535759719835355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Absence epilepsy is a disorder of thalamocortical networks. Animal models have provided detailed information regarding the core cellular, synaptic, and network features that contribute to the electroencephalogram spike and wave discharge characteristic of typical absence epilepsy. Understanding of seizure networks and dynamics is a critical step toward improving treatments, yet competing conceptual models have evolved to explain seizure initiation and propagation. Recent studies have questioned 2 key model concepts: (1) T-type Ca2+ channel-dependent burst firing in thalamic relay neurons may not be essential for seizure generation, bringing into question the proposed mechanism for the antiepileptic drug ethosuximide in reducing thalamic bursting and (2) widespread synchronized neural activity may not be a core feature of the seizures, indicating that reductions in synchrony would not be a productive therapeutic goal. In this review, I will discuss these current findings, highlight the innovative approaches that have enabled these insights, and provide a unified framework that incorporates these sometimes-conflicting ideas. Finally, I lay out future work that will be necessary to finally resolve the remaining issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Huguenard
- 1 Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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