scholarly journals Models of Epileptic Seizures in Immature Rats

2012 ◽  
pp. S103-S108 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. MAREŠ

Models of basic types of epileptic seizures are elaborated not only in adult but also in immature rodents. It is important because at least half of human epilepsies starts during infancy and childhood. This paper presents a review of chemically and electrically induced models of generalized convulsive and nonconvulsive (absence) seizures as well as models of partial simple (neocortical) and complex (limbic) seizures in immature rats. These models can also serve as a tool for study the development of central nervous system and motor abilities because the level of maturation is reflected in seizure semiology. Age-dependent models of epileptic seizures (absences and flexion seizures) are discussed. Models of seizures in immature animals should be used for testing of potential antiepileptic drugs.

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-123
Author(s):  
Beata Łabuz-Roszak ◽  
Iwona Mańka-Gaca

Generalized or partial epileptic seizures may be accompanied by autonomic dysfunction. They may also take the form of self-inflicted seizures or be present during interictal period. Arrhythmias, resulting in haemodynamic disturbances in the circulatory system and prolonged hypoxia of the central nervous system, may itself provoke secondary episodes of seizure morphology. The doctor when diagnosing patients with epileptic seizures should always be aware of the potential for cardiogenic disorders. Consideration should be given to the effect of epilepsy on the structure of the autonomic nervous system, the effect of antiepileptic drugs, and the potential for mutations within the ion channels.


Author(s):  
Gladys Harrison

With the advent of the space age and the need to determine the requirements for a space cabin atmosphere, oxygen effects came into increased importance, even though these effects have been the subject of continuous research for many years. In fact, Priestly initiated oxygen research when in 1775 he published his results of isolating oxygen and described the effects of breathing it on himself and two mice, the only creatures to have had the “privilege” of breathing this “pure air”.Early studies had demonstrated the central nervous system effects at pressures above one atmosphere. Light microscopy revealed extensive damage to the lungs at one atmosphere. These changes which included perivascular and peribronchial edema, focal hemorrhage, rupture of the alveolar septa, and widespread edema, resulted in death of the animal in less than one week. The severity of the symptoms differed between species and was age dependent, with young animals being more resistant.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (22) ◽  
pp. 11688-11703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Labrada ◽  
Xiao Huan Liang ◽  
Wei Zheng ◽  
Christine Johnston ◽  
Beth Levine

ABSTRACT Several different mammalian neurotropic viruses produce an age-dependent encephalitis characterized by more severe disease in younger hosts. To elucidate potential factors that contribute to age-dependent resistance to lethal viral encephalitis, we compared central nervous system (CNS) gene expression in neonatal and weanling mice that were either mock infected or infected intracerebrally with a recombinant strain, dsTE12Q, of the prototype alphavirus Sindbis virus. In 1-day-old mice, infection with dsTE12Q resulted in rapidly fatal disease associated with high CNS viral titers and extensive CNS apoptosis, whereas in 4-week-old mice, dsTE12Q infection resulted in asymptomatic infection with lower CNS virus titers and undetectable CNS apoptosis. GeneChip expression comparisons of mock-infected neonatal and weanling mouse brains revealed developmental regulation of the mRNA expression of numerous genes, including some apoptosis regulatory genes, such as the proapoptotic molecules caspase-3 and TRAF4, which are downregulated during development, and the neuroprotective chemokine, fractalkine, which is upregulated during postnatal development. In parallel with increased neurovirulence and increased viral replication, Sindbis virus infection in 1-day-old mice resulted in both a greater number of host inflammatory genes with altered expression and greater changes in levels of host inflammatory gene expression than infection in 4-week-old mice. Only one inflammatory response gene, an expressed sequence tag similar to human ISG12, increased by a greater magnitude in infected 4-week-old mouse brains than in infected 1-day-old mouse brains. Furthermore, we found that enforced neuronal ISG12 expression results in a significant delay in Sindbis virus-induced death in neonatal mice. Together, our data identify genes that are developmentally regulated in the CNS and genes that are differentially regulated in the brains of different aged mice in response to Sindbis virus infection.


2012 ◽  
pp. 619-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. SZCZUROWSKA ◽  
P. MAREŠ

The activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors subtype 4 (mGluR4) potentiates models of absence seizures in adult rats. These seizures are age-dependent, but data concerning the role of mGluR4 in immature brain is insufficient. N-phenyl-7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1acarboxamide (PHCCC), which is a positive allosteric modulator of these receptors, was used in three different models of seizures in immature rats: 1) convulsions induced by high doses of pentetrazol (PTZ; a model of generalised tonic-clonic seizures); 2) rhythmic electro-encephalographic (EEG) activity induced by low doses of PTZ (a model of absence seizures); and 3) electrically elicited cortical afterdischarges (ADs, a model of myoclonic seizures). We administered four doses of PHCCC (1, 3, 10 and 20 mg/kg) in PTZ-induced convulsions and two doses (3 and 10 mg/kg) in the two electrophysiological models of freely moving rats with implanted electrodes. Every dose and age group consisted from 8 to 10 rats. PTZ-elicited convulsions were not significantly influenced by PHCCC. In contrast, PHCCC potentiated the effect of a subconvulsant dose (60 mg/kg) of PTZ. The 10-mg/kg dose of PHCCC significantly prolonged the duration of PTZ-induced rhythmic activity episodes and shortened the intervals between individual episodes in 25-day-old rats (P25). In contrast, this potentiation was not seen in P18 rats. Cortical ADs were significantly prolonged with repeated stimulations by both doses of PHCCC in P12 and P18 animals. P25 rats exhibited only slightly longer AD durations. In conclusion, we did not find any anticonvulsant effect of PHCCC. On the contrary, proconvulsant action was demonstrated in all three models in immature rats.


Author(s):  
Bikash Khadka ◽  
Kishor Khanal

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy(TC) is a reversible, yet underdiagnosed cause of mortality and morbidity in the intensive care units. It occurs secondary to sudden catecholamine surge precipitated by any form of emotional or pathological stress. Association between central nervous system disorders and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is being increasingly reported. Epilepsy is the second most common CNS disorder to trigger TC, SAH being the first. We report a case of TC in an elderly man with prolonged, recurrent seizure episodes refractory to the commonly used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), who developed unexplained tachycardia, hypotension and elevated cardiac enzymes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-45
Author(s):  
L. V. Pypa ◽  
R. V. Svistilnik ◽  
Yu. N. Lysytsia ◽  
K. Yu. Romanchuk ◽  
I. V. Odarchuk

Aim of work – to analyze the etiological structure, epidemiological structure, social-demographic features and the nature of the development of complications of the central nervous system in aseptic meningitis in children in Khmelnitskyi region for the period 2004-2017.Materials and methods. It was conducted a prospective analysis of 208 cases of aseptic meningitis in children of whom 138 people were boys and 70 people were girls. The etiology of the disease was determined by studying cerebrospinal fluid using PCR method. Complications of the central nervous system were diagnosed on the basis of the clinical picture and CT or MRI scans. The analytical method was used to conduct the analysis of the received data.Results. The highest seasonal increase of the incidence was from August to October and it was 65.6% with its peak in September (24.0%). The clinical picture was characterized by a moderate trend in 71.2% of cases and in 28.8% by a severe course. In 100% of cases the disease began with a fever, headache (83.6%), vomiting (76.9%), abdominal pain with diarrhea (6.2%), epileptic seizures (0.9%). The average level of cytosis was 269.4±196.7 cells/mm3with a predominance of lymphocytes and the average protein level in cerebrospinal fluid was 73 ± 36 mg/dl. The etiological factor was established in 18 (8.6%) patients.Conclusions. Enterovirus remains to be the main pathogen which was determined in 72.2% of cases. The second place was taken by herpes viruses (22.2% of cases), the third place was given to the mumps virus (5.6% of cases) (in etiologically verified cases). In most cases the disease ended in complete recovery but in 47 (22.6%) patients the complications were observed. The prevalence of aseptic meningitis among children in Khmelnitskyi region was 6.2 per 100,000 children, and males outnumbered females by a 2:1 ratio.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1954 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-350
Author(s):  
MARGARET H. JONES ◽  
RUSSELL SANDS ◽  
CAROL B. HYMAN ◽  
PHILLIP STURGEON ◽  
FREMONT P. KOCH

One hundred unselected cases of erythroblastosis fetalis treated at Childrens Hospital in the newborn period have been followed from six months to five years in an effort to evaluate the relation of central nervous system signs in the newborn period to neuromuscular handicap and overall development later. Of those showing no central nervous system signs in the newborn period 4% showed definite abnormality later. Of those showing equivocal signs in the newborn period 33% showed definite abnormality later. Of those having definite signs early, 100% continued to show abnormality in infancy and childhood. There was no relation of the severity of the signs in the newborn period to the severity of the later handicap. It is suggested, therefore, that one cannot be certain of the later normality of an infant showing no definite or equivocal central nervous system involvement in the newborn period. Careful following of all erythroblastotic infants until six to eight years of age or longer is advisable.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1957 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 949-957
Author(s):  
William A. Hawke ◽  
John S. Prichard

THE SEMINAR was conducted in four 3-hour sessions and aimed to cover the more important features of pediatric neurology. DEVELOPMENT Dr. Hawke reviewed the normal development of the central nervous system in the infant and child which is so important in the assessment of neurologic disorders in this age group. It was noted that the nervous system was particularly immature and changing rapidly in the first 2 years of life. Development was related to myelination and it was emphasized that this was not a steady process but a pattern of sequences of rapid and slow growth. Motor and sensory development appeared to develop from above and to proceed downward, so that eye-control develops before hand- and legcontrol. Development was related to three functioning levels of the central nervous system—the brain stem, the archipallium, and the neopallium. It was observed that the newborn baby functioned at the brain stem level, and to illustrate this an example was given of the hydranencephalic baby which behaves perfectly normally for the first few weeks of life. The anchipallium, which includes part of the temporal lobe, the cingulate gyrus and basal ganglia, supervenes on the brain stem and may be considered responsible for the basic emotions and some primitive motor and sensory control. The neopallium, which includes most of the cerebral hemisphere, becomes dominant in primates. Its function is intellectual rather than emotional and is responsible for skills, discrimination and fine movements. The clinical application of these developmental patterns are innumerable but illustrations were given of changes in physical signs in static brain lesions.


Author(s):  
Dieter Schmidt ◽  
Simon Shorvon

Five modern antiepileptic drugs have reached the fabled blockbuster status (more than $1 billion sales per year), albeit for treatment of not only epilepsy but for other disorders of the central nervous system too. These drugs generated huge profits, and the chapter asks, how were they discovered and are they worth their money? The history of the five blockbusters—levetiracetam, lamotrigine, topiramate, gabapentin, and pregabalin—provides an interesting study of chance, science, wrong ideas, and finance, and most importantly luck. The discovery of the antiepileptic effects of some of these compounds was stumbled upon by simple good fortune, and others barely escaped an early demise during an unpromising early development. Despite the commercial success, no study has shown any of these drugs to be any more effective than older drugs, yet they made billions. This chapter examines how industry could do this and what the drivers are for success.


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