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Casarrubea M, Radic M, Morais TP, Mifsud E, Cuboni E, Aiello S, Crescimanno G, Crunelli V, Di Giovanni G. A quantitative and T-pattern analysis of anxiety-like behavior in male GAERS, NEC, and Wistar rats bred under the same conditions, against a commercially available Wistar control group in the hole board and elevated plus maze tests. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14443. [PMID: 37658671 PMCID: PMC10916429 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14443] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM The Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) are an inbred polygenic model of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), which, as their non-epileptic control (NEC) rats, are derived from Wistar rats. While the validity of GAERS in reproducing absence seizures is well established, its use as a model for CAE psychiatric comorbidities has been subject to conflicting findings. Differences in colonies, experimental procedures, and the use of diverse controls from different breeders may account for these disparities. Therefore, in this study, we compared GAERS, NEC, and Wistar bred in the same animal facility with commercially available Wistar (Cm Wistar) as a third control. METHODS We performed hole board (HB) and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests that were analyzed with standard quantitative and T-pattern analysis in male, age-matched Cm Wistar and GAERS, NEC, and Wistar, bred under the same conditions, to rule out the influence of different housing factors and provide extra information on the structure of anxiety-like behavior of GAERS rats. RESULTS Quantitative analysis showed that GAERS and NEC had similar low anxiety-like behavior when compared to Cm Wistar but not to Wistar rats, although a higher hole-focused exploration was revealed in NEC. T-pattern analysis showed that GAERS, NEC, and Wistar had a similar anxiety status, whereas GAERS and NEC exhibited major differences with Cm Wistar but not Wistar rats. EPM results indicated that GAERS and NEC also have similar low anxiety compared to Cm Wistar and/or Wistar rats. Nevertheless, the analysis of the T-pattern containing open-arm entry showed GAERS and Wistar to be less anxious than NEC and Cm Wistar rats. CONCLUSION To summarize, comorbid anxiety may not be present in male GAERS rats. This study also highlighted the importance of including a control Wistar group bred under the same conditions when evaluating their behavior, as using Wistar rats from commercial breeders can lead to misleading results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Manuela Radic
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of MaltaMsidaMalta
- Present address:
Department of PaediatricsChildren's Hospital ZagrebZagrebCroatia
| | - Tatiana P Morais
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of MaltaMsidaMalta
| | - Erika Mifsud
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of MaltaMsidaMalta
| | - Eleonora Cuboni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of MaltaMsidaMalta
- Present address:
Leibniz Institute for NeurobiologyMagdeburgGermany
| | - Stefania Aiello
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND)University of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Vincenzo Crunelli
- School of Biosciences, Neuroscience DivisionCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and SurgeryUniversity of MaltaMsidaMalta
- School of Biosciences, Neuroscience DivisionCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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Plutino S, Laghouati E, Jarre G, Depaulis A, Guillemain I, Bureau I. Barrel cortex development lacks a key stage of hyperconnectivity from deep to superficial layers in a rat model of Absence Epilepsy. Prog Neurobiol 2024; 234:102564. [PMID: 38244975 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102564] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
During development of the sensory cortex, the ascending innervation from deep to upper layers provides a temporary scaffold for the construction of other circuits that remain at adulthood. Whether an alteration in this sequence leads to brain dysfunction in neuro-developmental diseases remains unknown. Using functional approaches in a genetic model of Absence Epilepsy (GAERS), we investigated in barrel cortex, the site of seizure initiation, the maturation of excitatory and inhibitory innervations onto layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons and cell organization into neuronal assemblies. We found that cortical development in GAERS lacks the early surge of connections originating from deep layers observed at the end of the second postnatal week in normal rats and the concomitant structuring into multiple assemblies. Later on, at seizure onset (1 month old), excitatory neurons are hyper-excitable in GAERS when compared to Wistar rats. These findings suggest that early defects in the development of connectivity could promote this typical epileptic feature and/or its comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emel Laghouati
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Guillaume Jarre
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Antoine Depaulis
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Isabelle Guillemain
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
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Sitnikova E. Behavioral and Cognitive Comorbidities in Genetic Rat Models of Absence Epilepsy (Focusing on GAERS and WAG/Rij Rats). Biomedicines 2024; 12:122. [PMID: 38255227 PMCID: PMC10812980 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Absence epilepsy is a non-convulsive type of epilepsy characterized by the sudden loss of awareness. It is associated with thalamo-cortical impairment, which may cause neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive problems. Rats with spontaneous absence-like seizures are widely used as in vivo genetic models for absence epilepsy; they display behavioral and cognitive problems similar to epilepsy in humans, such as genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) and Wistar Albino rats from Rijswijk (WAG/Rij). Depression- and anxiety-like behaviors were apparent in GAERS, but no anxiety and depression-like symptoms were found in WAG/Rij rats. Deficits in executive functions and memory impairment in WAG/Rij rats, i.e., cognitive comorbidities, were linked to the severity of epilepsy. Wistar rats can develop spontaneous seizures in adulthood, so caution is advised when using them as a control epileptic strain. This review discusses challenges in the field, such as putative high emotionality in genetically prone rats, sex differences in the expression of cognitive comorbidities, and predictors of cognitive problems or biomarkers of cognitive comorbidities in absence epilepsy, as well as the concept of "the cognitive thalamus". The current knowledge of behavioral and cognitive comorbidities in drug-naive rats with spontaneous absence epilepsy is beneficial for understanding the pathophysiology of absence epilepsy, and for finding new treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgenia Sitnikova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 5A Butlerova St., Moscow 117485, Russia
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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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Casillas-Espinosa PM, Lin R, Li R, Nandakumar NM, Dawson G, Braine EL, Martin B, Powell KL, O'Brien TJ. Effects of the T-type calcium channel Ca V3.2 R1584P mutation on absence seizure susceptibility in GAERS and NEC congenic rats models. Neurobiol Dis 2023:106217. [PMID: 37391087 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
RATIONALE Low-voltage-activated or T-type Ca2+ channels play a key role in the generation of seizures in absence epilepsy. We have described a homozygous, gain of function substitution mutation (R1584P) in the CaV3.2 T-type Ca2+ channel gene (Cacna1h) in the Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS). The non-epileptic control (NEC) rats, derived from the same original Wistar strains as GAERS but selectively in-breed not to express seizures, are null for the R1584P mutation. To study the effects of this mutation in rats who otherwise have a GAERS or NEC genetic background, we bred congenic GAERS-Cacna1hNEC (GAERS null for R1584P mutation) and congenic NEC-Cacna1hGAERS (NEC homozygous for R1584P mutation) and evaluated the seizure and behavioral phenotype of these strains in comparison to the original GAERS and NEC strains. METHODS To evaluate seizure expression in the congenic strains, EEG electrodes were implanted in NEC, GAERS, GAERS-Cacna1hNEC without the R1584P mutation, and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS with the R1584P mutation rats. In the first study, continuous EEG recordings were acquired from week 4 (when seizures begin to develop in GAERS) to week 14 of age (when GAERS display hundreds of seizures per day). In the second study, the seizure and behavioral phenotype of GAERS and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS strains were evaluated during young age (6 weeks of age) and adulthood (16 weeks of age) of GAERS, NEC, GAERS-Cacna1hNEC and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS. The Open field test (OFT) and sucrose preference test (SPT) were performed to evaluate anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior, respectively. This was followed by EEG recordings at 18 weeks of age to quantify the seizures, and spike-wave discharge (SWD) cycle frequency. At the end of the study, the whole thalamus was collected for T-type calcium channel mRNA expression analysis. RESULTS GAERS had a significantly shorter latency to first seizures and an increased number of seizures per day compared to GAERS-Cacna1hNEC. On the other hand, the presence of the R1584P mutation in the NEC-Cacna1hGAERS was not enough to generate spontaneous seizures in their seizure-resistant background. 6 and 16-week-old GAERS and GAERS-Cacna1hNEC rats showed anxiety-like behavior in the OFT, in contrast to NEC and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS. Results from the SPT showed that the GAERS developed depressive-like in the SPT compared to GAERS-Cacna1hNEC, NEC, and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS. Analysis of the EEG at 18 weeks of age showed that the GAERS had an increased number of seizures per day, increased total seizure duration and a higher cycle frequency of SWD relative to GAERS-Cacna1hNEC. However, the average seizure duration was not significantly different between strains. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the T-type Ca2+ channel isoform CaV3.2 channel expression was significantly increased in GAERS compared to NEC, GAERS-Cacna1hNEC and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS. The presence of the R1584P mutation increased the total ratio of CaV3.2 + 25/-25 splice variants in GAERS and NEC-Cacna1hGAERS compared to NEC and GAERS-Cacna1hNEC. DISCUSSION The data from this study demonstrate that the R1584P mutation in isolation on a seizure-resistant NEC genetic background was insufficient to generate absence seizures, and that a GAERS genetic background can cause seizures even without the mutation. However, the study provides evidence that the R1584P mutation acts as a modulator of seizures development and expression, and depressive-like behavior in the SPT, but not the anxiety phenotype of the GAERS model of absence epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo M Casillas-Espinosa
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia; Department of Neurology, The Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Runxuan Lin
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nanditha M Nandakumar
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia
| | - Georgia Dawson
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emma L Braine
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia
| | - Benoît Martin
- Univ Rennes, INSERM, LTSI - UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Kim L Powell
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia
| | - Terence J O'Brien
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia; Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia; Department of Neurology, The Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Victoria, Australia.
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Ryazanova MA, Plekanchuk VS, Prokudina OI, Makovka YV, Alekhina TA, Redina OE, Markel AL. Animal Models of Hypertension (ISIAH Rats), Catatonia (GC Rats), and Audiogenic Epilepsy (PM Rats) Developed by Breeding. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1814. [PMID: 37509453 PMCID: PMC10376947 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11071814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into genetic and physiological mechanisms of widespread disorders such as arterial hypertension as well as neuropsychiatric and other human diseases is urgently needed in academic and practical medicine and in the field of biology. Nevertheless, such studies have many limitations and pose difficulties that can be overcome by using animal models. To date, for the purposes of creating animal models of human pathologies, several approaches have been used: pharmacological/chemical intervention; surgical procedures; genetic technologies for creating transgenic animals, knockouts, or knockdowns; and breeding. Although some of these approaches are good for certain research aims, they have many drawbacks, the greatest being a strong perturbation (in a biological system) that, along with the expected effect, exerts side effects in the study. Therefore, for investigating the pathogenesis of a disease, models obtained using genetic selection for a target trait are of high value as this approach allows for the creation of a model with a "natural" manifestation of the pathology. In this review, three rat models are described: ISIAH rats (arterial hypertension), GC rats (catatonia), and PM rats (audiogenic epilepsy), which are developed by breeding in the Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics (the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina A Ryazanova
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Vladislava S Plekanchuk
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Olga I Prokudina
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Yulia V Makovka
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Tatiana A Alekhina
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Olga E Redina
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Arcady L Markel
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
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Dezsi G, Ozturk E, Harris G, Paul C, O'Brien TJ, Jones NC. Metyrapone abolishes spike-wave discharge seizures in genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg by reducing stress hormones. Epilepsia 2023. [PMID: 36916834 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Stress is one of the most commonly reported triggers for seizures in patients with epilepsy, although the mechanisms that mediate this effect are not established. The clinical evidence supporting this is derived from patients' subjective experience of stress, and how this influences their own seizures. Animal models can be used to explore this phenomenon in controlled environments, free from subjective bias. Here, we used genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS), a genetic rat model of absence epilepsy, to explore the influence of stress and stress hormones on spontaneous seizures. METHODS Adult male GAERS (n = 38) and nonepileptic control (NEC) rats (n = 4) were used. First, rats were subjected to 30-min restraint stress to assess hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Next, we assessed the effects of 30-min noise stress, and cage tilt stress, on spike-wave discharge seizures in GAERS. We then performed pharmacological experiments to assess the direct effects of stress hormones on seizures, including corticosterone, metyrapone, and deoxycorticosterone. RESULTS GAERS exhibited elevated baseline corticosterone levels, compared to NEC rats. Noise stress and cage tilt stress significantly enhanced seizure incidence (p < .05), but only during stress periods. Exogenous corticosterone administration also significantly increased seizure occurrence (p < .05). Metyrapone, an inhibitor of corticosterone synthesis, completely abolished seizures in GAERS, and seizures remained suppressed for >2 h. However, deoxycorticosterone, the precursor of corticosterone, increased seizures. SIGNIFICANCE These results suggest that GAERS exhibit elevations in stress hormones, and this may contribute to seizures. Inhibiting corticosterone synthesis with metyrapone prevents seizures in GAERS, and shows potential for repurposing this drug as a future antiseizure medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabi Dezsi
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ezgi Ozturk
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Georgia Harris
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Cornelius Paul
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Terence J O'Brien
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nigel C Jones
- Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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De Deurwaerdère P, Casarrubea M, Cassar D, Radic M, Puginier E, Chagraoui A, Crescimanno G, Crunelli V, Di Giovanni G. Cannabinoid 1/2 Receptor Activation Induces Strain-Dependent Behavioral and Neurochemical Changes in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats From Strasbourg and Non-epileptic Control Rats. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:886033. [PMID: 35677756 PMCID: PMC9169225 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.886033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is characterized by absence seizures, which are episodes of lack of consciousness accompanied by electrographic spike-wave discharges. About 60% of children and adolescents with absence seizures are affected by major neuropsychological comorbidities, including anxiety. Endocannabinoids and monoamines are likely involved in the pathophysiology of these CAE psychiatric comorbidities. Here, we show that the synthetic cannabinoid receptor type 1/2 (CB1/2R) agonist WIN 55,212-2 (2 mg/kg) has a strain-dependent effect on anxiety-like and motor behavior when assess in the hole board test and cerebral monoaminergic levels in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) and their non-epileptic control (NEC) rat strain. Using quantitative and Temporal pattern (T-pattern) analyses, we found that WIN 55,212-2 did not affect the emotional status of GAERS, but it was anxiolytic in NEC. Conversely, WIN 55,212-2 had a sedative effect in GAERS but was ineffective in NEC. Moreover, vehicle-treated GAERS more motivated to explore by implementing more complex and articulated strategies. These behavioral changes correlate with the reduction of 5-HT in the hippocampus and substantia nigra (SN) and noradrenaline (NA) in the entopeduncular nucleus (EPN) in vehicle-treated GAERS compared to NEC rats, which could contribute to their low anxiety status and hypermotility, respectively. On the other hand, the increased level of NA in the EPN and 5-HT in the SN is consistent with an activation of the basal ganglia output-mediated motor suppression observed in WIN 55,212-2-treated GAERS rats. These data support the view of a strain-dependent alteration of the endocannabinoid system in absence epilepsy by adding evidence of a lower emotional responsiveness and a basal ganglia hypersensitivity to cannabinoids in GAERS compared to NEC rats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- *Correspondence: Maurizio Casarrubea,
| | - Daniel Cassar
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Manuela Radic
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Emilie Puginier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5287, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Abdeslam Chagraoui
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
- Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, INSERM, U1239, CHU Rouen, Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication Laboratory, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine of Normandy (IRIB), Rouen, France
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Giuseppe Crescimanno
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), Human Physiology Section “Giuseppe Pagano”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Crunelli
- 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
- Giuseppe Di Giovanni,
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Cassar D, Radic M, Casarrubea M, Crunelli V, Di Giovanni G. The effect of cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 on anxiety-like behavior and locomotion in a genetic model of absence seizures in the elevated plus-maze. CNS Neurosci Ther 2022; 28:1268-1270. [PMID: 35470960 PMCID: PMC9253729 DOI: 10.1111/cns.13848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Cassar
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Manuela Radic
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Maurizio Casarrubea
- Laboratory of Behavioral Physiology, Human Physiology Section "Giuseppe Pagano", Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnosistics (BIND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Crunelli
- Neuroscience Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - 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, UK
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10
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Huang L, Xiao D, Sun H, Qu Y, Su X. Behavioral tests for evaluating the characteristics of brain diseases in rodent models: Optimal choices for improved outcomes (Review). Mol Med Rep 2022; 25:183. [PMID: 35348193 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2022.12699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral assessment is the dominant approach for evaluating whether animal models of brain diseases can successfully mimic the clinical characteristics of diseases. At present, most research regarding brain diseases involves the use of rodent models. While studies have reported numerous methods of behavioral assessments in rodent models of brain diseases, each with different principles, procedures, and assessment criteria, only few reviews have focused on characterizing and differentiating these methods based on applications for which they are most appropriate. Therefore, in the present review, the representative behavioral tests in rodent models of brain diseases were compared and differentiated, aiming to provide convenience for researchers in selecting the optimal methods for their studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyi Huang
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Dongqiong Xiao
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Hao Sun
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Yi Qu
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
| | - Xiaojuan Su
- Department of Pediatrics/Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R. China
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11
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Laghouati E, Studer F, Depaulis A, Guillemain I. Early alterations of the neuronal network processing whisker-related sensory signal during absence epileptogenesis. Epilepsia 2021; 63:497-509. [PMID: 34919740 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Epileptogenesis is the particular process during which the epileptic network builds up progressively before the onset of the first seizures. Whether physiological functions are impacted by this development of epilepsy remains unclear. To explore this question, we used Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats From Strasbourg (GAERS), in which spike-and-wave discharges are initiated in the whisker primary somatosensory cortex (wS1) and first occur during cortical maturation. We studied the development of both the epileptic and the physiological wS1 circuits during cortical maturation to understand the interactions between them and the consequences for the animals' behavior. METHODS In sedated and immobilized rat pups, we recorded in vivo epileptic and whisker sensory evoked activities across the wS1 and thalamus using multicontact electrodes. We compared sensory evoked potentials based on current source density analysis. We then analyzed the multiunit activities evoked by whisker stimulation in GAERS and control rats. Finally, we evaluated behavioral performance dependent on the functionality of the wS1 cortex using the gap-crossing task. RESULTS We showed that the epileptic circuit changed during the epileptogenesis period in GAERS, by involving different cortical layers of wS1. Neuronal activities evoked by whisker stimulation were reduced in the wS1 cortex at P15 and P30 in GAERS but increased in the ventral posteromedial nucleus of the thalamus at P15 and in the posterior medial nucleus at P30, when compared to control rats. Finally, we observed lower performance in GAERS versus controls, at both P15 and P30, in a whisker-mediated behavioral task. SIGNIFICANCE Our data show that the functionality of wS1 cortex and thalamus is altered early during absence epileptogenesis in GAERS and then evolves before spike-and-wave discharges are fully expressed. They suggest that the development of the pathological circuit disturbs the physiological one and may be responsible for both the emergence of seizures and associated comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emel Laghouati
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Florian Studer
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Antoine Depaulis
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Isabelle Guillemain
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
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12
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Gruenbaum BF, Sandhu MRS, Bertasi RAO, Bertasi TGO, Schonwald A, Kurup A, Gruenbaum SE, Freedman IG, Funaro MC, Blumenfeld H, Sanacora G. Absence seizures and their relationship to depression and anxiety: Evidence for bidirectionality. Epilepsia 2021; 62:1041-1056. [PMID: 33751566 PMCID: PMC8443164 DOI: 10.1111/epi.16862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Absence seizures (AS), presenting as short losses of consciousness with staring spells, are a common manifestation of childhood epilepsy that is associated with behavioral, emotional, and social impairments. It has also been suggested that patients with AS are more likely to suffer from mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes human and animal models that investigated mood disorders and AS. Of the 1019 scientific publications identified, 35 articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. We found that patients with AS had greater odds of developing depression and anxiety when compared to controls (odds ratio = 4.93, 95% confidence interval = 2.91-8.35, p < .01). The included studies further suggest a strong correlation between AS and depression and anxiety in the form of a bidirectional relationship. The current literature emphasizes that these conditions likely share underlying mechanisms, such as genetic predisposition, neurophysiology, and anatomical pathways. Further research will clarify this relationship and ensure more effective treatment for AS and mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin F Gruenbaum
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Mani Ratnesh S Sandhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Raphael A O Bertasi
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Tais G O Bertasi
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Antonia Schonwald
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Anirudh Kurup
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Shaun E Gruenbaum
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Isaac G Freedman
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Melissa C Funaro
- Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Hal Blumenfeld
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Gerard Sanacora
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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13
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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: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [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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14
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Yavuz M, Aydın B, Çarçak N, Akman Ö, Raci Yananlı H, Onat F. Atipamezole, a specific α 2A antagonist, suppresses spike-and-wave discharges and alters Ca 2⁺ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the thalamus of genetic absence epilepsy rats. Epilepsia 2020; 61:2825-2835. [PMID: 33098125 DOI: 10.1111/epi.16728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The role of α2A adrenergic receptors (α2A ARs) in absence epilepsy is not well characterized. Therefore, we investigated the outcomes of the specific antagonism of α2A ARs on the spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) in genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERSs), together with its influence on the behavior and second messenger systems, which may point to the mechanisms to which a possible SWD modulation can be related. METHODS Atipamezole, an α2A AR antagonist, was administered intracerebroventricularly to the adult GAERSs, and electroencephalography (EEG) was conducted. The cumulative duration and number of SWDs, and the mean duration of each SWD complex were counted. The relative power of the EEG frequency bands and behavioral activity after the acute application of two doses (12 and 31 μg/5 μL) of atipamezole were evaluated. The levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) were measured in the cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus of naive Wistar rats and GAERSs, administered with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) as a vehicle, or either acute or chronic atipamezole (12 μg), the latter being administered for 5 consecutive days. RESULTS Atipamezole significantly suppressed SWDs dose-dependently, without affecting the relative power values of EEG frequency spectrum. The stereotypic activity was significantly lower in both naive Wistar rats and GAERSs receiving the highest dose (31 μg) of atipamezole compared to GAERSs receiving aCSF. In GAERSs, CaMKII levels were found to be higher in the thalamus after the acute and chronic application of SWD-suppressing doses of atipamezole (12 and 31 μg) compared to aCSF. SIGNIFICANCE This study emphasizes the α2 AR-related modulation of absence epilepsy and particularly the significance of α2 AR antagonism in suppressing SWDs. Atipamezole's SWD-suppressive actions may be through CaMKII-mediated second messenger systems in the thalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melis Yavuz
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey.,Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Banu Aydın
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Nihan Çarçak
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Özlem Akman
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Demiroglu Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hasan Raci Yananlı
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Filiz Onat
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.,Epilepsy Research Center, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.,Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
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15
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Marks WN, Zabder NK, Snutch TP, Howland JG. T-type calcium channels regulate the acquisition and recall of conditioned fear in male, Wistar rats. Behav Brain Res 2020; 393:112747. [PMID: 32504730 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The T-type calcium channel blocker, Z944, has been used as a pharmacological tool to assess T-type calcium channel function and examined for use as an anti-epileptic. As Z944 affects fear learning and memory in a rodent model of absence epilepsy, it is important to determine the effect of Z944 on learning and memory in a non-disease outbred rodent strain. This study examined the dose-dependent effects (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) of acute systemic treatment with Z944 on the learning and memory of fear conditioning and extinction in male Wistar rats. Z944 administered prior to the acquisition of fear conditioning significantly increased freezing prior to acquisition and extinction, during acquisition, and impaired recall of fear memory 24 h later. These findings suggest that T-type calcium channel activity may be required during associative learning for intact long-term memory. Enhanced fear behaviour observed prior to acquisition and extinction, and during acquisition could reflect an increase in anxiety, however, further testing is needed to determine the effect of Z944 on anxiety during fear conditioning and extinction. The use of Z944 for therapeutic purposes should consider the potential effects of Z944 on learning and memory in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendie N Marks
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
| | - Nadine K Zabder
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Terrance P Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada
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16
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Roebuck AJ, An L, Marks WN, Sun N, Snutch TP, Howland JG. Cognitive Impairments in Touchscreen-based Visual Discrimination and Reversal Learning in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg. Neuroscience 2020; 430:105-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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17
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Effects of Huazhuo Jiedu Shugan Decoction on Cognitive and Emotional Disorders in a Rat Model of Epilepsy: Possible Involvement of AC-cAMP-CREB Signaling and NPY Expression. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2019; 2019:4352879. [PMID: 31915447 PMCID: PMC6930777 DOI: 10.1155/2019/4352879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 09/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Background Huazhuo Jiedu Shugan decoction (HJSD), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used to treat epileptic seizures for many years. Some ingredients in these herbs have been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of brain damage caused by epilepsy. Aim of the Study The object of the study is to determine the effects of HJSD on cognitive and emotional disorders in a rat model of epilepsy. Materials and Methods After a predetermined time period, rats were intraperitoneally injected with pentylenetetrazol and observed in different phases of convulsions. The cognitive and emotional changes in the epileptic rats were assessed using behavioral and immunohistochemical tests. Results Compared with the epilepsy group, the seizure grade was reduced and seizure latency was prolonged following HJSD-H treatment (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the epilepsy group displayed marked worse performance on the animal behavior tests (P < 0.05) and the HJSD-H group displayed improved behavioral performance (P < 0.05). After HJSD-H treatment, the expression of adenylate cyclase (AC), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) immunoreactive cells markedly increased in the hippocampus, compared with that of the epilepsy group (P < 0.05). Conclusions The current results demonstrate that HJSD treatment in epileptic rats markedly inhibits epileptic seizures and improves cognitive and emotional disorders, which may be related to the regulation of AC-cAMP-CREB signaling and NPY expression in the hippocampus. The effects of the HJSD treatment may provide a foundation for the use of HJSD as a prescription medicinal herb in the TCM for the treatment of epilepsy.
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18
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Yavuz M, Albayrak N, Özgür M, Gülçebi İdriz Oğlu M, Çavdar S, Onat F. The effect of prenatal and postnatal caffeine exposure on pentylentetrazole induced seizures in the non-epileptic and epileptic offsprings. Neurosci Lett 2019; 713:134504. [PMID: 31539618 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, has been reported to modulate seizure activity in various studies. In this study the effects of caffeine exposure on the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizure thresholds and seizure stages in the Wistar and genetic absence epilepsy model offsprings were examined. Adult female and male Wistar rats and genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) consumed caffeine dissolved in water (0.3 g/L) before conception, during the gestational periods and lactation period whereas control groups of each strain received tap water. All offsprings at postnatal day 30 (PN30) subjected to 70 mg/kg of PTZ were evaluated in terms of overall seizure stages, the latency to the first generalized seizure and the c-Fos protein activity in the brain regions of somatosensorial cortex (SSCx), reticular thalamic nucleus (Rt), ventrobasal thalamus (VB), centromedial nucleus (CM) and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). The Wistar caffeine group had significantly shorter latency to the first generalized seizure (1.53 ± 0.49 min) comparing to the Wistar control offsprings (3.40 ± 0.68 min). GAERS caffeine group (6.52 ± 2.48 min) showed significantly longer latency comparing to Wistar caffeine group (1.53 ± 0.49 min). Although statistically not significant, GAERS caffeine group showed a longer latency comparing to the GAERS control group (4.71 ± 1.82 min). In all regions of SSCx, Rt, VB, CM and LGN, GAERS caffeine group had lower c-Fos protein expression comparing to the GAERS control group (p < 0.05). Wistar caffeine rats had lower expression of c-Fos protein comparing to the Wistar control group only in SSCx. In CM, GAERS rats expressed lower c-Fos protein comparing to the Wistar control (p < 0.05). In conclusion differential effects of caffeine in the seizure modulation may involve c-Fos protein activity-dependent protection mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melis Yavuz
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Nazlı Albayrak
- School of Medicine, Acibadem M. A. Aydınlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Merve Özgür
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Medine Gülçebi İdriz Oğlu
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey; Epilepsy Research Centre (EPAM), Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Safiye Çavdar
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Filiz Onat
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey; Epilepsy Research Centre (EPAM), Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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19
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Cavarec F, Krauss P, Witkowski T, Broisat A, Ghezzi C, De Gois S, Giros B, Depaulis A, Deransart C. Early reduced dopaminergic tone mediated by D3 receptor and dopamine transporter in absence epileptogenesis. Epilepsia 2019; 60:2128-2140. [DOI: 10.1111/epi.16342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Cavarec
- Grenoble Alpes University National Institute of Health and Medical Research U1216, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital Center Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences Grenoble France
| | - Philipp Krauss
- Grenoble Alpes University National Institute of Health and Medical Research U1216, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital Center Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences Grenoble France
- Department of Neurosurgery Rechts der Isar Hospital Munich Germany
| | - Tiffany Witkowski
- Grenoble Alpes University National Institute of Health and Medical Research U1216, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital Center Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences Grenoble France
- Clermont Auvergne University National Institute of Health and Medical Research U1240 Molecular Imaging and Theranostic Strategies Clermont‐Ferrand France
| | - Alexis Broisat
- National Institute of Health and Medical Research Mixed Unit of Research U1039 Bioclinical Radiopharmaceuticals Grenoble France
| | - Catherine Ghezzi
- National Institute of Health and Medical Research Mixed Unit of Research U1039 Bioclinical Radiopharmaceuticals Grenoble France
| | - Stéphanie De Gois
- Neuroscience Paris Seine National Institute of Health and Medical Research Mixed Unit of Research 1130/National Center for Scientific Research Mixed Unit of Research 8246 Sorbonne University Paris France
| | - Bruno Giros
- Neuroscience Paris Seine National Institute of Health and Medical Research Mixed Unit of Research 1130/National Center for Scientific Research Mixed Unit of Research 8246 Sorbonne University Paris France
- Department of Psychiatry Douglas Hospital McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Antoine Depaulis
- Grenoble Alpes University National Institute of Health and Medical Research U1216, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital Center Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences Grenoble France
| | - Colin Deransart
- Grenoble Alpes University National Institute of Health and Medical Research U1216, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital Center Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences Grenoble France
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20
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Marks WN, Zabder NK, Cain SM, Snutch TP, Howland JG. The T-type calcium channel antagonist, Z944, alters social behavior in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg. Behav Brain Res 2019; 361:54-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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21
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Studer F, Laghouati E, Jarre G, David O, Pouyatos B, Depaulis A. Sensory coding is impaired in rat absence epilepsy. J Physiol 2019; 597:951-966. [PMID: 30548850 DOI: 10.1113/jp277297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Absence epilepsy is characterized by the occurrence of spike-and-wave discharges concomitant with an alteration of consciousness and is associated with cognitive comorbidities. In a genetic model of absence epilepsy in the rat, the genetic absence epilepsy rat from Strasbourg (GAERS), spike-and-wave discharges are shown to be initiated in the barrel field primary somatosensory cortex that codes whisker-related information, therefore playing an essential role in the interactions of rodents with their environment. Sensory-information processing is impaired in the epileptic barrel field primary somatosensory cortex of GAERS, with a delayed sensory-evoked potential and a duplicated neuronal response to whisker stimulation in in vivo extracellular recordings. Yet, GAERS present no defaults of performance in a texture discrimination task, suggesting the existence of a compensatory mechanism within the epileptic neuronal network. The results of the present study indicate that physiological primary functions are processed differently in an epileptic cortical network. ABSTRACT Several neurodevelopmental pathologies are associated with disorganized cortical circuits that may alter primary functions such as sensory processes. In the present study, we investigated whether the function of a cortical area is altered in the seizure onset zone of absence epilepsy, a prototypical form of childhood genetic epilepsy associated with cognitive impairments. We first combined in vivo multichannel electrophysiological recordings and histology to precisely localize the seizure onset zone in the genetic absence epilepsy rat from Strasbourg (GAERS). We then investigated the functionality of this epileptic zone using extracellular silicon probe recordings of sensory-evoked local field potentials and multi-unit activity, as well as a behavioural test of texture discrimination. We show that seizures in this model are initiated in the barrel field part of the primary somatosensory cortex and are associated with high-frequency oscillations. In this cortex, we found an increased density of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in layer 5 in GAERS compared to non-epileptic Wistar rats. Its functional investigation revealed that sensory abilities of GAERS are not affected in a texture-discrimination task, whereas the intracortical processing of sensory-evoked information is delayed and duplicated. Altogether, these results suggest that absence seizures are associated with an increase of parvalbumin-inhibitory neurons, which may promote the functional relationship between epileptic oscillations and high-frequency activities. Our findings suggest that cortical circuits operate differently in the epileptic onset zone and may adapt to maintain their ability to process highly specialized information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Studer
- University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, Grenoble, France.,Inserm, U1216, Grenoble, France
| | - Emel Laghouati
- University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, Grenoble, France.,Inserm, U1216, Grenoble, France
| | - Guillaume Jarre
- University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, Grenoble, France.,Inserm, U1216, Grenoble, France
| | - Olivier David
- University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, Grenoble, France.,Inserm, U1216, Grenoble, France
| | - Benoît Pouyatos
- University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, Grenoble, France.,Inserm, U1216, Grenoble, France.,Present address: INRS, F-54519, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France
| | - Antoine Depaulis
- University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, Grenoble, France.,Inserm, U1216, Grenoble, France
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Aguilar BL, Malkova L, N'Gouemo P, Forcelli PA. Genetically Epilepsy-Prone Rats Display Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Neuropsychiatric Comorbidities of Epilepsy. Front Neurol 2018; 9:476. [PMID: 29997563 PMCID: PMC6030811 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric comorbidities, including both anxiety and depression. Despite high occurrences of depression and anxiety seen in human epilepsy populations, little is known about the etiology of these comorbidities. Experimental models of epilepsy provide a platform to disentangle the contribution of acute seizures, genetic predisposition, and underlying circuit pathologies to anxious and depressive phenotypes. Most studies to date have focused on comorbidities in acquired epilepsies; genetic models, however, allow for the assessment of affective phenotypes that occur prior to onset of recurrent seizures. Here, we tested male and female genetically epilepsy-prone rats (GEPR-3s) and Sprague-Dawley controls in a battery of tests sensitive to anxiety-like and depressive-like phenotypes. GEPR-3s showed increased anxiety-like behavior in the open field test, elevated plus maze, light-dark transition test, and looming threat test. Moreover, GEPR-3s showed impaired prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex, decreased sucrose preference index, and impaired novel object recognition memory. We also characterized defense behaviors in response to stimulation thresholds of deep and intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (DLSC), but found no difference between strains. In sum, GEPR-3s showed inherited anxiety, an effect that did not differ significantly between sexes. The anxiety phenotype in adult GEPR-3s suggests strong genetic influences that may underlie both the seizure disorder and the comorbidities seen in epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Aguilar
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Ludise Malkova
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Prosper N'Gouemo
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Patrick A Forcelli
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
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23
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Bombardi C, Venzi M, Crunelli V, Di Giovanni G. Developmental changes of GABA immunoreactivity in cortico-thalamic networks of an absence seizure model. Neuropharmacology 2018; 136:56-67. [PMID: 29471054 PMCID: PMC6018618 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.01.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Absence seizures (ASs) are associated with abnormalities in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission in the thalamus and the cortex. In the present study, we used light microscopy GABA immunocytochemistry to quantify the GABA-immunoreactive (GABA-IR) neurons and neuropil in the thalamic ventral basal (VB) nucleus, the nucleus reticularis thalami (NRT), the dorsal lateral geniculate (dLGN), the primary motor cortex (M1) and perioral region of the somatosensory cortex (S1po) of genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS). We used both the relative non-epileptic control (NEC) and normal Wistar rats as control strains, and investigated GABA immunostaining at postnatal day 15 (P15), P25, and P90. The main findings were i) an increase in GABA-IR neuropil in the VB at P25 and P90 in GAERS but not in NEC and Wistar rats; ii) an increase in NRT GABA-IR neurons in GAERS and NEC, but not Wistar, rats at both P25 and P90; and iii) an increase in GABA-IR neuron density in S1po of GAERS at P25 and P90 and in Wistar at P90. These results indicate that the increased GABAergic innervation in the VB at P25 most likely contributes to the enhanced tonic inhibition observed in GAERS prior to AS onset, whereas the lack of any anatomo-morphological GABAergic differences in GAERS S1po suggests that functional more than structural abnormalities underlie the origin of cortical paroxysms in S1po of this AS model. This article is part of the “Special Issue Dedicated to Norman G. Bowery”. GABA-IR profiles increase in P25 to P90 VB neuropil in GAERS but not in NEC and Wistar rats. NRT GABA-IR neurons increase in P25 and P90 GAERS and NEC, but not in Wistar rats. GABA-IR neuron density increases in S1po of GAERS at P25 and P90 and in Wistar at P90.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Bombardi
- University of Bologna, Department of Veterinary Medical Science, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marcello Venzi
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Vincenzo Crunelli
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK; Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Malta, Malta.
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Neuroscience Division, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK; Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Malta, Malta.
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24
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Enhanced susceptibility to stress and seizures in GAD65 deficient mice. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191794. [PMID: 29377906 PMCID: PMC5788371 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibition has been implicated in both anxiety and epilepsy. GAD65-/- (NOD/LtJ) mice have significantly decreased basal GABA levels in the brain and a lowered threshold for seizure generation. One fifth of GAD65 -/- mice experienced stress-induced seizures upon exposure to an open field at 4 weeks of age. In each successive week until 8 weeks of age, the latency to seizures decreased with prior seizure experience. 100% of GAD65-/- mice exhibited stress-induced seizures by the end of 8 weeks. GAD65-/- mice also exhibited marked impairment in open field exploratory behavior and deficits in spatial learning acquisition on a Barnes maze. Anxiety-like behavior in an open field was observed prior to seizure onset and was predictive of subsequent seizures. Immunohistochemical characterization of interneuron subtypes in GAD65-/- mice showed a selective decrease in GABA and neuropeptide Y (NPY) levels and no change in calbindin (CLB) or calretinin (CLR) immunoreactivity in the hippocampus. Stem cells from the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) were injected into the hippocampal hilus to restore GABAergic interneurons. One week after transplantation, MGE-transplanted mice demonstrated significant seizure resistance compared to sham surgical controls. The percent area of GFP+ MGE graft in the hippocampus correlated significantly with the increase in seizure latency. Our data indicate that impaired GABAergic neurotransmission can cause anxiety-like behavior and stress-induced seizures that can be rescued by MGE stem cell transplantation.
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25
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Henbid MT, Marks WN, Collins MJ, Cain SM, Snutch TP, Howland JG. Sociability impairments in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg: Reversal by the T-type calcium channel antagonist Z944. Exp Neurol 2017; 296:16-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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26
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Genetic background contributes to the co-morbidity of anxiety and depression with audiogenic seizure propensity and responses to fluoxetine treatment. Epilepsy Behav 2017; 68:95-102. [PMID: 28135595 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2016.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Revised: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anxiety and depression are the most frequent comorbidities of different types of convulsive and non-convulsive epilepsies. Increased anxiety and depression-like phenotype have been described in the genetic absence epilepsy models as well as in models of limbic epilepsy and acquired seizure models, suggesting a neurobiological connection. However, whether anxiety and/or depression are comorbid to audiogenic epilepsy remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anxiety or depression-like behavior can be found in rat strains with different susceptibility to audiogenic seizures (AS) and whether chronic fluoxetine treatment affects this co-morbidity. METHODS Behavior in the elevated plus-maze and the forced swimming test was studied in four strains: Wistar rats non-susceptible to AS; Krushinsky-Molodkina (KM) strain, selectively bred for AS propensity from outbred Wistar rats; and a selection lines bred for maximal AS expression (strain "4") and for a lack of AS (strain "0") from KM×Wistar F2 hybrids. Effects of chronic antidepressant treatment on AS and behavior were also evaluated. RESULTS Anxiety and depression levels were higher in KM rats (with AS) compared with Wistar rats (without AS), indicating the comorbidity with AS. However, in strains "4" and "0" with contrasting AS expression, but with a genetic background close to KM rats, anxiety and depression were not as divergent as in KMs versus Wistars. Fluoxetine treatment exerted an antidepressant effect in all rat strains irrespective of its effect on AS. CONCLUSIONS Genetic background contributes substantively to the co-morbidity of anxiety and depression with AS propensity.
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27
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Marks WN, Cain SM, Snutch TP, Howland JG. The T-type calcium channel antagonist Z944 rescues impairments in crossmodal and visual recognition memory in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 94:106-15. [PMID: 27282256 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is often comorbid with behavioral and cognitive symptoms, including impaired visual memory. Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) is an animal model closely resembling CAE; however, cognition in GAERS is poorly understood. Crossmodal object recognition (CMOR) is a recently developed memory task that examines not only purely visual and tactile memory, but also requires rodents to integrate sensory information about objects gained from tactile exploration to enable visual recognition. Both the visual and crossmodal variations of the CMOR task rely on the perirhinal cortex, an area with dense expression of T-type calcium channels. GAERS express a gain-in-function missense mutation in the Cav3.2 T-type calcium channel gene. Therefore, we tested whether the T-type calcium channel blocker Z944 dose dependently (1, 3, 10mg/kg; i.p.) altered CMOR memory in GAERS compared to the non-epileptic control (NEC) strain. GAERS demonstrated recognition memory deficits in the visual and crossmodal variations of the CMOR task that were reversed by the highest dose of Z944. Electroencephalogram recordings determined that deficits in CMOR memory in GAERS were not the result of seizures during task performance. In contrast, NEC showed a decrease in CMOR memory following Z944 treatment. These findings suggest that T-type calcium channels mediate CMOR in both the GAERS and NEC strains. Future research into the therapeutic potential of T-type calcium channel regulation may be particularly fruitful for the treatment of CAE and other disorders characterized by visual memory deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendie N Marks
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Stuart M Cain
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Terrance P Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada.
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28
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Goldman AM, LaFrance WC, Benke T, Asato M, Drane D, Pack A, Syed T, Doss R, Lhatoo S, Fureman B, Dingledine R. 2014 Epilepsy Benchmarks Area IV: Limit or Prevent Adverse Consequence of Seizures and Their Treatment Across The Lifespan. Epilepsy Curr 2016; 16:198-205. [PMID: 27330453 PMCID: PMC4913859 DOI: 10.5698/1535-7511-16.3.198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alica M. Goldman
- Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, NB222, Houston, TX, USA
| | - W. Curt LaFrance
- Associate Professor, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence RI 02903-4923 USA
| | - Tim Benke
- Associate Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, Pharmacology and Otolaryngology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Miya Asato
- Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Divisionof Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Dan Drane
- Assistant Professor, Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine
| | - Alison Pack
- Associate Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Tanvir Syed
- Assistant Professor of Neurology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
| | - Robert Doss
- Clinical Neuropsychologist, Minnesota Epilepsy Group, P.A., St. Paul, MN and Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, MN
| | - Samden Lhatoo
- Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
| | - Brandy Fureman
- Program Director, Channels Synapses and Circuits Cluster, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Ray Dingledine
- Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta GA
| | - for the American Epilepsy Society (AES)/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Epilepsy Benchmark Stewards.
- Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, NB222, Houston, TX, USA
- Associate Professor, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence RI 02903-4923 USA
- Associate Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, Pharmacology and Otolaryngology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
- Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Divisionof Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Assistant Professor, Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine
- Associate Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
- Assistant Professor of Neurology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
- Clinical Neuropsychologist, Minnesota Epilepsy Group, P.A., St. Paul, MN and Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, MN
- Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
- Program Director, Channels Synapses and Circuits Cluster, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
- Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta GA
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29
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Marques-Carneiro J, Faure JB, Barbelivien A, Nehlig A, Cassel JC. Subtle alterations in memory systems and normal visual attention in the GAERS model of absence epilepsy. Neuroscience 2016; 316:389-401. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.12.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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30
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Marks WN, Cavanagh ME, Greba Q, Cain SM, Snutch TP, Howland JG. The Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg model of absence epilepsy exhibits alterations in fear conditioning and latent inhibition consistent with psychiatric comorbidities in humans. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 43:25-40. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Revised: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wendie N. Marks
- Department of Physiology; University of Saskatchewan; GB33, Health Sciences Building, 107 Wiggins Road Saskatoon SK Canada S7N 5E5
| | - Mary E. Cavanagh
- Department of Physiology; University of Saskatchewan; GB33, Health Sciences Building, 107 Wiggins Road Saskatoon SK Canada S7N 5E5
| | - Quentin Greba
- Department of Physiology; University of Saskatchewan; GB33, Health Sciences Building, 107 Wiggins Road Saskatoon SK Canada S7N 5E5
| | - Stuart M. Cain
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health; University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Terrance P. Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health; University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
| | - John G. Howland
- Department of Physiology; University of Saskatchewan; GB33, Health Sciences Building, 107 Wiggins Road Saskatoon SK Canada S7N 5E5
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31
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Holmes GL, Tian C, Hernan AE, Flynn S, Camp D, Barry J. Alterations in sociability and functional brain connectivity caused by early-life seizures are prevented by bumetanide. Neurobiol Dis 2015; 77:204-19. [PMID: 25766676 PMCID: PMC4682568 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2015.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Revised: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a well-described association between infantile epilepsy and pervasive cognitive and behavioral deficits, including a high incidence of autism spectrum disorders. Despite the robustness of the relationship between early-life seizures and the development of autism, the pathophysiological mechanism by which this occurs has not been explored. As a result of increasing evidence that autism is a disorder of brain connectivity we hypothesized that early-life seizures would interrupt normal brain connectivity during brain maturation and result in an autistic phenotype. Normal rat pups underwent recurrent flurothyl-induced seizures from postnatal (P)days 5-14 and then tested, along with controls, for developmental alterations of development brain oscillatory activity from P18-P25. Specifically we wished to understand how normal changes in rhythmicity in and between brain regions change as a function of age and if this rhythmicity is altered or interrupted by early life seizures. In rat pups with early-life seizures, field recordings from dorsal and ventral hippocampus and prefrontal cortex demonstrated marked increase in coherence as well as a decrease in voltage correlation at all bandwidths compared to controls while there were minimal differences in total power and relative power spectral densities. Rats with early-life seizures had resulting impairment in the sociability and social novelty tests but demonstrated no evidence of increased activity or generalized anxiety as measured in the open field. In addition, rats with early-life seizures had lower seizure thresholds than controls, indicating long-standing alterations in the excitatory/inhibition balance. Bumetanide, a pharmacological agent that blocks the activity of NKCC1 and induces a significant shift of ECl toward more hyperpolarized values, administration at the time of the seizures precluded the subsequent abnormalities in coherence and voltage correlation and resulted in normal sociability and seizure threshold. Taken together these findings indicate that early-life seizures alter the development of oscillations and result in autistic-like behaviors. The altered communication between these brain regions could reflect the physiological underpinnings underlying social cognitive deficits seen in autism spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory L Holmes
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT05405, USA.
| | - Chengju Tian
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT05405, USA
| | - Amanda E Hernan
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT05405, USA
| | - Sean Flynn
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT05405, USA
| | - Devon Camp
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT05405, USA
| | - Jeremy Barry
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT05405, USA
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Fauvelle F, Boccard J, Cavarec F, Depaulis A, Deransart C. Assessing Susceptibility to Epilepsy in Three Rat Strains Using Brain Metabolic Profiling Based on HRMAS NMR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics. J Proteome Res 2015; 14:2177-89. [PMID: 25761974 DOI: 10.1021/pr501309b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The possibility that a metabolomic approach can inform about the pathophysiology of a given form of epilepsy was addressed. Using chemometric analyses of HRMAS NMR data, we compared several brain structures in three rat strains with different susceptibilities to absence epilepsy: Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS), Non Epileptic Control rats (NEC), and Wistar rats. Two ages were investigated: 14 days postnatal (P14) before the onset of seizures and 5 month old adults with fully developed seizures (Adults). The relative concentrations of 19 metabolites were assessed using (1)H HRMAS NMR experiments. Univariate and multivariate analyses including multiblock models were used to identify the most discriminant metabolites. A strain-dependent evolution of glutamate, glutamine, scyllo-inositol, alanine, and glutathione was highlighted during cerebral maturation. In Adults, data from somatosensory and motor cortices allowed discrimination between GAERS and NEC rats with higher levels of scyllo-inositol, taurine, and phosphoethanolamine in NEC. This epileptic metabolic phenotype was in accordance with current pathophysiological hypothesis of absence epilepsy (i.e., seizure-generating and control networks) and putative resistance of NEC rats and was observed before seizure onset. This methodology could be very efficient in a clinical context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Fauvelle
- †IRBA, 91223 Bretigny sur Orgne, France.,‡Univ. Grenoble Alpes, IRMaGe MRI facility, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,ΨCNRS, UIMS 3552, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,¶INSERM, US17, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,§INSERM U836, F-38042 Grenoble, France
| | - Julien Boccard
- #School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, University of Lausanne, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Fanny Cavarec
- §INSERM U836, F-38042 Grenoble, France.,∥Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Antoine Depaulis
- §INSERM U836, F-38042 Grenoble, France.,∥Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,⊥Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Colin Deransart
- §INSERM U836, F-38042 Grenoble, France.,∥Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, GIN, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,⊥Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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