Search results for "Epilepsy"
showing 10 items of 420 documents
AAV vector-mediated overexpression of CB1 cannabinoid receptor in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus protects against seizure-induced excitoxicity.
2010
The CB1 cannabinoid receptor is the most abundant G-protein coupled receptor in the brain and a key regulator of neuronal excitability. There is strong evidence that CB1 receptor on glutamatergic hippocampal neurons is beneficial to alleviate epileptiform seizures in mouse and man. Therefore, we hypothesized that experimentally increased CB1 gene dosage in principal neurons would have therapeutic effects in kainic acid (KA)-induced hippocampal pathogenesis. Here, we show that virus-mediated conditional overexpression of CB1 receptor in pyramidal and mossy cells of the hippocampus is neuroprotective and moderates convulsions in the acute KA seizure model in mice. We introduce a recombinant a…
Cortical Temperature Change: A Tool for Modulating Brain States?12
2016
Reduction in temperature depolarizes neurons by a partial closure of potassium channels but decreases the vesicle release probability within synapses. Compared with cooling, neuromodulators produce qualitatively similar effects on intrinsic neuronal properties and synapses in the cortex. We used this similarity of neuronal action in ketamine-xylazine-anesthetized mice and non-anesthetized mice to manipulate the thalamocortical activity. We recorded cortical electroencephalogram/local field potential (LFP) activity and intracellular activities from the somatosensory thalamus in control conditions, during cortical cooling and on rewarming. In the deeply anesthetized mice, moderate cortical co…
Microsurgical Anatomy of the Insular Region and Operculoinsular Association Fibers and its Neurosurgical Application
2019
Objective To analyze the three-dimensional relationships of the operculoinsular compartments, using standard hemispheric and white matter fiber dissection and review the anatomy of association fibers related to the operculoinsular compartments of the Sylvian fissure and the main white matter tracts located deep into the insula. The secondary aim of this study was to improve the knowledge on this complex region to safely address tumor, vascular, and epilepsy lesions with an integrated perspective of the topographic and white matter fiber anatomy using 2D and 3D photographs. Methods Six cadaveric hemispheres were dissected. Two were fixed with formalin and the arteries were injected with red …
Internalizing symptoms in children affected by childhood absence epilepsy: A preliminary study
2016
Introduction: Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is a common type of pediatric idiopathic generalized epilepsy, characterized by multiple seizures of typical absence, with typical EEG pattern consisting in bilateral synchronous and symmetrical discharges of generalized 3 Hz spike-wave (SWDs). Recently, some researchers have suggested that the underlying epileptogenic mechanism of absence seizures selectively involves the frontal cortical circuits, also supported by video-electroencephalography data(3). These data may be considered as a new window in CAE comprehension and management, particularly about symptoms different from seizure that children affected may present. In this light, aim of th…
Ketogenic diet as antiepileptic therapy: Historical perspective
2017
Ketogenic diet (KD) is a high-lipid diet, adequate for protein content but low in carbohydrates content. Caloric intake is calculated on the basis of the ideal patient's needs, reduced by about 20%, and is about 90% of lipids present in 3: 1 or 4: 1 ratio with proteins and carbohydrates. KD is considered the most ancient antiepileptic therapy, actually proposed also for migraine therapy.
Ketogenic diet as antiepileptic therapy: Administration and formulas
2017
In 1921 Wilder defined classical cholesterol diet providing the patient with a daily calorie intake of less than 20% compared to age-related requirements. The main macronutrient is represented by saturated and long chain unsaturated fatty acids, in the ratio of 4: 1 to carbohydrates and proteins (4 grams of lipids per gram of carbohydrates and proteins). One of the first therapeutic protocols proposed is that of John Hopkins that the onset of the diet should take place in a hospital environment to assess the patient's response in a controlled situation.
Design of composite measure schemes for comparative severity assessment in animal-based neuroscience research: A case study focussed on rat epilepsy …
2020
PLOS ONE 15(5), e0230141 (2020). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0230141
The role of network connectivity on epileptiform activity.
2021
AbstractA number of potentially important mechanisms have been identified as key players to generate epileptiform activity, such as genetic mutations, activity-dependent alteration of synaptic functions, and functional network reorganization at the macroscopic level. Here we study how network connectivity at cellular level can affect the onset of epileptiform activity, using computational model networks with different wiring properties. The model suggests that networks connected as in real brain circuits are more resistant to generate seizure-like activity. The results suggest new experimentally testable predictions on the cellular network connectivity in epileptic individuals, and highligh…
Entropy characteristics of heart rate wavelet multiscale components in epileptic children before and after seizures
2020
In this work, we analyze the information content of the multiple time scale components of heart rate variability (HRV) in children with focal epilepsy. HRV components are extracted from 30 pediatric patients, monitored 10 min and 10 s before and after focal epileptic seizures, using wavelet multiscale decomposition (with 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180 s time scale), and then characterized computing Entropy (E), permutation entropy (PE), conditional entropy (CE) and information storage (IS). Moving from preictal to postictal windows, we find statistically significant differences in the CE and IS values of HRV components at short time scales, which reflect autonomic imbalance and appear as potential…