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Traub RD, Whittington MA. Processing of cell assemblies in the lateral entorhinal cortex. Rev Neurosci 2022; 33:829-847. [PMID: 35447022 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2022-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence that olfactory cortex responds to its afferent input with the generation of cell assemblies: collections of principal neurons that fire together over a time scale of tens of ms. If such assemblies form an odor representation, then a fundamental question is how each assembly then induces neuronal activity in downstream structures. We have addressed this question in a detailed model of superficial layers of lateral entorhinal cortex, a recipient of input from olfactory cortex and olfactory bulb. Our results predict that the response of the fan cell subpopulation can be approximated by a relatively simple Boolean process, somewhat along the lines of the McCulloch/Pitts scheme; this is the case because of the sparsity of recurrent excitation amongst fan cells. However, because of recurrent excitatory connections between layer 2 and layer 3 pyramidal cells, synaptic and probably also gap junctional, the response of pyramidal cell subnetworks cannot be so approximated. Because of the highly structured anatomy of entorhinal output projections, our model suggests that downstream targets of entorhinal cortex (dentate gyrus, hippocampal CA3, CA1, piriform cortex, olfactory bulb) receive differentially processed information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger D Traub
- AI Foundations, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Gerster M, Taher H, Škoch A, Hlinka J, Guye M, Bartolomei F, Jirsa V, Zakharova A, Olmi S. Patient-Specific Network Connectivity Combined With a Next Generation Neural Mass Model to Test Clinical Hypothesis of Seizure Propagation. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:675272. [PMID: 34539355 PMCID: PMC8440880 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.675272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamics underlying epileptic seizures span multiple scales in space and time, therefore, understanding seizure mechanisms requires identifying the relations between seizure components within and across these scales, together with the analysis of their dynamical repertoire. In this view, mathematical models have been developed, ranging from single neuron to neural population. In this study, we consider a neural mass model able to exactly reproduce the dynamics of heterogeneous spiking neural networks. We combine mathematical modeling with structural information from non invasive brain imaging, thus building large-scale brain network models to explore emergent dynamics and test the clinical hypothesis. We provide a comprehensive study on the effect of external drives on neuronal networks exhibiting multistability, in order to investigate the role played by the neuroanatomical connectivity matrices in shaping the emergent dynamics. In particular, we systematically investigate the conditions under which the network displays a transition from a low activity regime to a high activity state, which we identify with a seizure-like event. This approach allows us to study the biophysical parameters and variables leading to multiple recruitment events at the network level. We further exploit topological network measures in order to explain the differences and the analogies among the subjects and their brain regions, in showing recruitment events at different parameter values. We demonstrate, along with the example of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) connectomes of 20 healthy subjects and 15 epileptic patients, that individual variations in structural connectivity, when linked with mathematical dynamic models, have the capacity to explain changes in spatiotemporal organization of brain dynamics, as observed in network-based brain disorders. In particular, for epileptic patients, by means of the integration of the clinical hypotheses on the epileptogenic zone (EZ), i.e., the local network where highly synchronous seizures originate, we have identified the sequence of recruitment events and discussed their links with the topological properties of the specific connectomes. The predictions made on the basis of the implemented set of exact mean-field equations turn out to be in line with the clinical pre-surgical evaluation on recruited secondary networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Gerster
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Halgurd Taher
- Inria Sophia Antipolis Méditerranée Research Centre, MathNeuro Team, Valbonne, France
| | - Antonín Škoch
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
- MR Unit, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jaroslav Hlinka
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
- Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Maxime Guye
- Faculté de Médecine de la Timone, Centre de Résonance Magnétique et Biologique et Médicale (CRMBM, UMR CNRS-AMU 7339), Medical School of Marseille, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique -Hôpitaux de Marseille, Hôpital de la Timone, Pôle d'Imagerie, Marseille, France
| | - Fabrice Bartolomei
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille, Hôpital de la Timone, Service de Neurophysiologie Clinique, Marseille, France
| | - Viktor Jirsa
- Aix Marseille Université, Inserm, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, UMRS 1106, Marseille, France
| | - Anna Zakharova
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simona Olmi
- Inria Sophia Antipolis Méditerranée Research Centre, MathNeuro Team, Valbonne, France
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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Traub RD, Moeller F, Rosch R, Baldeweg T, Whittington MA, Hall SP. Seizure initiation in infantile spasms vs. focal seizures: proposed common cellular mechanisms. Rev Neurosci 2020; 31:181-200. [PMID: 31525161 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2019-0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Infantile spasms (IS) and seizures with focal onset have different clinical expressions, even when electroencephalography (EEG) associated with IS has some degree of focality. Oddly, identical pathology (with, however, age-dependent expression) can lead to IS in one patient vs. focal seizures in another or even in the same, albeit older, patient. We therefore investigated whether the cellular mechanisms underlying seizure initiation are similar in the two instances: spasms vs. focal. We noted that in-common EEG features can include (i) a background of waves at alpha to delta frequencies; (ii) a period of flattening, lasting about a second or more - the electrodecrement (ED); and (iii) often an interval of very fast oscillations (VFO; ~70 Hz or faster) preceding, or at the beginning of, the ED. With IS, VFO temporally coincides with the motor spasm. What is different between the two conditions is this: with IS, the ED reverts to recurring slow waves, as occurring before the ED, whereas with focal seizures the ED instead evolves into an electrographic seizure, containing high-amplitude synchronized bursts, having superimposed VFO. We used in vitro data to help understand these patterns, as such data suggest cellular mechanisms for delta waves, for VFO, for seizure-related burst complexes containing VFO, and, more recently, for the ED. We propose a unifying mechanistic hypothesis - emphasizing the importance of brain pH - to explain the commonalities and differences of EEG signals in IS versus focal seizures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger D Traub
- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Friederike Moeller
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London WC1N 3JH, UK
| | - Richard Rosch
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, New Hunt's House, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Torsten Baldeweg
- Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guildford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | | | - Stephen P Hall
- Hull York Medical School, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, UK
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Zhou L, Liu C, Wang Z, Shen H, Wen Z, Chen D, Sun Q, Chen G. Pannexin-1 is involved in neuronal apoptosis and degeneration in experimental intracerebral hemorrhage in rats. Mol Med Rep 2018; 17:5684-5691. [PMID: 29484398 PMCID: PMC5866010 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2018.8624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Pannexins serve an important role in the regulation of extracellular neuronal regenerative currents and cellular signal transduction of glial cells; however, the effects of pannexins in various cerebrovascular diseases have not been reported. The present study focused on the expression and influence of pannexins in a rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and confirmed that pannexins (including Pannexin‑1, Pannexin‑2 and Pannexin‑3) are expressed in rat brain tissues. However, only the expression of Pannexin‑1 was significantly increased and peaked 48 h post‑ICH. Following treatment with carbenoxolone (CBX), which is an inhibitor of Pannexin‑1, apoptosis and neuronal degeneration in the brain tissues around the ICH hematoma decreased. The extent of secondary brain injury due to ICH was also alleviated. Compared with rats in the ICH‑only group, recovery of neurocognitive functions improved significantly in the CBX‑treated groups. Results from the present study suggested that the upregulation of Pannexin‑1 expression may be involved in apoptosis and degeneration of neurons in the rat brain following ICH, and may contribute to subsequent cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linqiang Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
| | - Chenglin Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
| | - Zhong Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
| | - Haitao Shen
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
| | - Zunjia Wen
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
| | - Dongdong Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
| | - Qing Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
| | - Gang Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
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Badin AS, Fermani F, Greenfield SA. The Features and Functions of Neuronal Assemblies: Possible Dependency on Mechanisms beyond Synaptic Transmission. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 10:114. [PMID: 28119576 PMCID: PMC5223595 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2016.00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
"Neuronal assemblies" are defined here as coalitions within the brain of millions of neurons extending in space up to 1-2 mm, and lasting for hundreds of milliseconds: as such they could potentially link bottom-up, micro-scale with top-down, macro-scale events. The perspective first compares the features in vitro versus in vivo of this underappreciated "meso-scale" level of brain processing, secondly considers the various diverse functions in which assemblies may play a pivotal part, and thirdly analyses whether the surprisingly spatially extensive and prolonged temporal properties of assemblies can be described exclusively in terms of classic synaptic transmission or whether additional, different types of signaling systems are likely to operate. Based on our own voltage-sensitive dye imaging (VSDI) data acquired in vitro we show how restriction to only one signaling process, i.e., synaptic transmission, is unlikely to be adequate for modeling the full profile of assemblies. Based on observations from VSDI with its protracted spatio-temporal scales, we suggest that two other, distinct processes are likely to play a significant role in assembly dynamics: "volume" transmission (the passive diffusion of diverse bioactive transmitters, hormones, and modulators), as well as electrotonic spread via gap junctions. We hypothesize that a combination of all three processes has the greatest potential for deriving a realistic model of assemblies and hence elucidating the various complex brain functions that they may mediate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine-Scott Badin
- Neuro-Bio Ltd., Culham Science CentreAbingdon, UK; Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Mann Group, University of OxfordOxford, UK
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Staba RJ, Frighetto L, Behnke EJ, Mathern GW, Fields T, Bragin A, Ogren J, Fried I, Wilson CL, Engel J. Increased Fast ripple to ripple Ratios Correlate with Reduced Hippocampal Volumes and Neuron Loss in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients. Epilepsia 2007; 48:2130-8. [PMID: 17662059 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2007.01225.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine whether hippocampal sclerosis might form an anatomical substrate for pathological high-frequency oscillations in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). METHODS Intracerebral wide bandwidth electroencephalogram was recorded in patients with medically intractable complex partial seizures. A computer-automated program detected interictal normal ripples (80-150 Hz) and pathologic fast ripples (FR, 151-500 Hz) from microelectrodes within hippocampus, entorhinal, and subicular cortices. Hippocampal MRI volumetric analysis and cell density measurements were correlated with rates of FR and ripple discharge. RESULTS In all 13 patients, higher rates of FR (p = 0.03) and ratios of FR to ripple discharges (p = 0.02) were observed in sites ipsilateral to seizure onset compared with rates within contralateral non-ictal sites. Higher ratios of FR to ripple discharge were associated with smaller ipsilateral hippocampal volumes (p = 0.02) and lower fascia dentata (FD; p = 0.02) and Ammon's horn (p = 0.0005) neuron densities. While reduced FD and Ammon's horn neuron densities correlated with higher ratios of discharges, stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that decreased neuron densities within CA1 and prosubiculum regions most strongly predicted ratios of FR to ripples (r(2)= 0.78, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS In surgical patients with TLE, higher ratios of FR to ripple discharges are associated with histopathologic changes found in hippocampal sclerosis. These findings support the hypothesis that pathological alterations linked with hippocampal cell loss and synaptic reorganization promote FR and reduce ripple generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Staba
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California-Los Angeles, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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Ochi A, Otsubo H, Donner EJ, Elliott I, Iwata R, Funaki T, Akizuki Y, Akiyama T, Imai K, Rutka JT, Snead OC. Dynamic changes of ictal high-frequency oscillations in neocortical epilepsy: using multiple band frequency analysis. Epilepsia 2007; 48:286-96. [PMID: 17295622 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2007.00923.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To characterize the spatial and temporal course of ictal high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) recorded by subdural EEG in children with intractable neocortical epilepsy. METHODS We retrospectively studied nine children (four girls, five boys; 4-17 yr) who presented with intractable extrahippocampal localization-related epilepsy and who underwent extraoperative video subdural EEG (1000 Hz sampling rate) and cortical resection. We performed multiple band frequency analysis (MBFA) to evaluate the frequency, time course, and distribution of ictal HFOs. We compared ictal HFO changes before and after clinical onset and postsurgical seizure outcomes. RESULTS Seventy-eight of 79 seizures showed HFOs. We observed wide-band HFOs ( approximately 250 Hz, approximately 120 electrodes) in six patients either with partial seizures alone (three patients) or with epileptic spasms (three patients). Three patients with partial seizures that secondarily generalized had wide-band HFOs ( approximately 170 Hz) before clinical onset and sustained narrow-band HFOs (60-164 Hz) with electrodecremental events after clinical onset ( approximately 28 electrodes). In four postoperatively seizure-free patients, more electrodes recorded higher-frequency HFOs inside the resection area than outside before and after clinical seizure onset. In five patients with residual seizures, electrodes recorded more HFOs that were of higher or equal frequency outside the surgical area than inside after clinical onset. CONCLUSION For partial seizures alone and epileptic spasms, more electrodes recorded only wide-band HFOs; for partial seizures that secondarily generalized, fewer electrodes recorded wide-band HFOs, but in these seizures electrodes also recorded subsequent sustained narrow-band ictal HFOs. Resection of those brain regions having electrodes with ictal, higher HFOs resulted in postsurgical seizure-free outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Ochi
- The Divisions of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Lai Y, van Drongelen W, Hecox K, Frim D, Kohrman M, He B. Cortical activation mapping of epileptiform activity derived from interictal ECoG spikes. Epilepsia 2007; 48:305-14. [PMID: 17295624 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00936.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop and evaluate a new cortical activation mapping (CAM) method to obtain the neuronal activation sequences from the cortical potential distributions. METHODS Interictal electrocorticogram (ECoG) recordings were analyzed for eight pediatric epilepsy patients to find the cortical activation maps, which were compared with the patients' seizure-onset zones identified from ictal ECoG recordings. Various relations between the local activation time and cortical potential were assumed. The most effective relation was determined by accessing their capability to predict the seizure-onset zone. Computer simulations using a moving dipole source model were also conducted to test the present approach in imaging the propagated cortical activity. RESULTS In both clinical data analysis and computer simulations, the maximal amplitude proved to be the most effective criterion with which to determine the local cortical activation time. The present method successfully predicted the seizure-onset zone in seven of eight patients by the CAM analysis of ECoG-recorded interictal spikes (IISs). For patients with multiple seizure foci, each focus can be revealed by analyzing IISs with different spatial patterns. CONCLUSIONS The time difference between spike peaks of the interictal events in the leading channel and other channels can be effectively defined as the local cortical activation time. The cortical activation mapping method based on this time latency can be used to predict the seizure-onset zones, suggesting that the present CAM method is useful to assist the presurgical evaluation for the epilepsy patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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Akiyama T, Otsubo H, Ochi A, Galicia EZ, Weiss SK, Donner EJ, Rutka JT, Snead OC. Topographic movie of ictal high-frequency oscillations on the brain surface using subdural EEG in neocortical epilepsy. Epilepsia 2007; 47:1953-7. [PMID: 17116039 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00823.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To understand the rapid dynamic changes of ictal intracranial high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) in neocortical epilepsy. METHODS We integrated multiple band frequency analysis and brain-surface topographic maps of HFOs from ictal subdural EEG (SDEEG) recordings. We used SDEEG to record partial seizures consisting of right-arm jerks with secondary generalization in a 17-year-old right-handed girl. We selected 20-s EEG sections that included preclinical seizure recordings. We averaged the HFO power between 60 and 120 Hz for 25 selected electrodes, made topographic maps from these averaged powers, and superimposed the maps on the brain-surface image. We filmed consecutive HFO maps at a 10-ms frame rate. RESULTS Before clinical seizure onset, high-power HFOs emerged at the superior portion of the left precentral gyrus, then appeared in the middle of the left postcentral gyrus, and subsequently reverberated between both regions as well as the posterior portion of the left postcentral gyrus. Right-arm extension and facial grimacing started as the HFO power decreased. As generalized tonic-clonic seizures evolved, HFO power increased but remained within the central region. CONCLUSIONS Topographic movies of intracranial HFOs on the brain surface allow visualization of the dynamic ictal changes in neocortical epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoyuki Akiyama
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Urrestarazu E, Jirsch JD, LeVan P, Hall J, Avoli M, Dubeau F, Gotman J. High-frequency intracerebral EEG activity (100-500 Hz) following interictal spikes. Epilepsia 2006; 47:1465-76. [PMID: 16981862 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00618.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE High-frequency activity has been recorded with intracerebral microelectrodes in epileptic patients and related to seizure genesis. Our goal was to analyze high-frequency activity recorded with electroencephalograph (EEG) macroelectrodes during the slow wave immediately following interictal spikes, given the potential importance of this presumed hyperpolarization in transforming spikes into seizures. METHODS Depth electrode EEG recordings from 10 patients with intractable focal epilepsy were low-pass filtered at 500 Hz and sampled at 2,000 Hz. Spikes were categorized according to localization and morphology. Segments of 256 ms were selected immediately following (postspike), and 2 s before each spike (baseline). Power was estimated in subgamma (0-40 Hz), gamma (40-100 Hz), high frequency (100-200 Hz), and very high frequency (250-500 Hz) bands. RESULTS Changes in power above 100 Hz were seen in 22 of 29 spike categories, consisting primarily of a widespread decrease in frequencies above 100 Hz. This decrease became spatially more restricted as frequencies increased, and coincided with the localization of largest spikes for the highest frequencies. High-frequency power decreases were prominent in the hippocampus but less common in amygdala and neocortex. High-frequency power increases were observed in the amygdala. CONCLUSIONS Thus high-frequency EEG activity can be recorded with macroelectrodes in humans and may provide insights on neuronal mechanisms related to human epilepsy. This activity undergoes consistent modifications after EEG spikes. We propose that the reduction in high frequencies reflects a postspike depression in neuronal activity that is more pronounced in the region of spike generation. This depression is almost always seen in hippocampus but less in amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Urrestarazu
- Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Nilsen KE, Kelso ARC, Cock HR. Antiepileptic effect of gap-junction blockers in a rat model of refractory focal cortical epilepsy. Epilepsia 2006; 47:1169-75. [PMID: 16886980 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00540.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Epilepsy is the most common serious neurologic disease, and current treatments are ineffective for <or=30% of patients. Gap junctions have been implicated in seizure generation and propagation, and as such, may represent a novel therapeutic target but have been little investigated in vivo. We set out to assess the efficacy and tolerability of gap-junction blockers delivered to the seizure focus in a well-characterized model of refractory cortical epilepsy in rats. METHODS A chronic epilepsy focus was induced in the cortex of rats by using tetanus toxin, and subsequent studies were conducted in freely moving unanesthetized animals with frequent spontaneous seizures, as we previously described. Carbenoxolone, meclofenamic acid, and saline were applied directly to the seizure focus. EEG, electromyogram (EMG), and behavioral parameters were measured for >or=1 h before drug infusion and for >or=3 h afterward. No ill effects were observed. RESULTS An immediate and marked reduction in percentage of seizure time was seen in rats receiving carbenoxolone (baseline, 69.4%+/- 7.0% (SEM); maximum effect, 9.3%+/- 3.5%, p <or=0.001) and meclofenamic acid (baseline, 58.3%+/- 3.7%; maximum effect, 0.92%+/- 0.92%, p < 0.001). No effect was seen after saline infusion. CONCLUSIONS Gap-junction blockers applied focally are effective at suppressing seizures and, as such, represent a potential new treatment for epilepsy. Development of focal treatment strategies is essential in this regard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Nilsen
- Epilepsy Group, Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, St. Georges, University of London, London, England
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