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1.
Epilepsia ; 65(7): 2165-2178, 2024 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38752861

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The increased amplitude of ictal activity is a common feature of epileptic seizures, but the determinants of this amplitude have not been identified. Clinically, ictal amplitudes are measured electrographically (using, e.g., electroencephalography, electrocorticography, and depth electrodes), but these methods do not enable the assessment of the activity of individual neurons. Population signal may increase from three potential sources: (1) increased synchrony (i.e., more coactive neurons); (2) altered active state, from bursts of action potentials and/or paroxysmal depolarizing shifts in membrane potential; and (3) altered subthreshold state, which includes all lower levels of activity. Here, we quantify the fraction of ictal signal from each source. METHODS: To identify the cellular determinants of the ictal signal, we measured single cell and population electrical activity and neuronal calcium levels via optical imaging of the genetically encoded calcium indicator (GECI) GCaMP. Spontaneous seizure activity was assessed with microendoscopy in an APP/PS1 mouse with focal cortical injury and via widefield imaging in the organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) model of posttraumatic epilepsy. Single cell calcium signals were linked to a range of electrical activities by performing simultaneous GECI-based calcium imaging and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in spontaneously seizing OHSCs. Neuronal resolution calcium imaging of spontaneous seizures was then used to quantify the cellular contributions to population-level ictal signal. RESULTS: The seizure onset signal was primarily driven by increased subthreshold activity, consistent with either barrages of excitatory postsynaptic potentials or sustained membrane depolarization. Unsurprisingly, more neurons entered the active state as seizure activity progressed. However, the increasing fraction of active cells was primarily driven by synchronous reactivation and not from continued recruitment of new populations of neurons into the seizure. SIGNIFICANCE: This work provides a critical link between single neuron activity and population measures of seizure activity.


Subject(s)
Hippocampus , Neurons , Animals , Mice , Neurons/physiology , Hippocampus/physiopathology , Action Potentials/physiology , Mice, Transgenic , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Electroencephalography/methods , Seizures/physiopathology , Epilepsy/physiopathology , Male , Calcium/metabolism
2.
Epilepsy Curr ; 23(2): 127-129, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37122404
3.
Brain ; 145(2): 531-541, 2022 04 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34431994

ABSTRACT

Seizure initiation is the least understood and most disabling element of epilepsy. Studies of ictogenesis require high speed recordings at cellular resolution in the area of seizure onset. However, in vivo seizure onset areas cannot be determined at the level of resolution necessary to enable such studies. To circumvent these challenges, we used novel GCaMP7-based calcium imaging in the organotypic hippocampal slice culture model of post-traumatic epilepsy in mice. Organotypic hippocampal slice cultures generate spontaneous, recurrent seizures in a preparation in which it is feasible to image the activity of the entire network (with no unseen inputs existing). Chronic calcium imaging of the entire hippocampal network, with paired electrophysiology, revealed three patterns of seizure onset: (i) low amplitude fast activity; (ii) sentinel spike; and (iii) spike burst and low amplitude fast activity onset. These patterns recapitulate common features of human seizure onset, including low voltage fast activity and spike discharges. Weeks-long imaging of seizure activity showed a characteristic evolution in onset type and a refinement of the seizure onset zone. Longitudinal tracking of individual neurons revealed that seizure onset is stochastic at the single neuron level, suggesting that seizure initiation activates neurons in non-stereotyped sequences seizure to seizure. This study demonstrates for the first time that transitions to seizure are not initiated by a small number of neuronal 'bad actors' (such as overly connected hub cells), but rather by network changes which enable the onset of pathology among large populations of neurons.


Subject(s)
Calcium , Epilepsy , Animals , Electroencephalography , Hippocampus , Humans , Mice , Neurons/physiology , Seizures
4.
J Neurosci ; 39(19): 3611-3626, 2019 05 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30846615

ABSTRACT

Developing cortical GABAergic interneurons rely on genetic programs, neuronal activity, and environmental cues to construct inhibitory circuits during early postnatal development. Disruption of these events can cause long-term changes in cortical inhibition and may be involved in neurological disorders associated with inhibitory circuit dysfunction. We hypothesized that tonic glutamate signaling in the neonatal cortex contributes to, and is necessary for, the maturation of cortical interneurons. To test this hypothesis, we used mice of both sexes to quantify extracellular glutamate concentrations in the cortex during development, measure ambient glutamate-mediated activation of developing cortical interneurons, and manipulate tonic glutamate signaling using subtype-specific NMDA receptor antagonists in vitro and in vivo We report that ambient glutamate levels are high (≈100 nm) in the neonatal cortex and decrease (to ≈50 nm) during the first weeks of life, coincident with increases in astrocytic glutamate uptake. Consistent with elevated ambient glutamate, putative parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the cortex (identified using G42:GAD1-eGFP reporter mice) exhibit a transient, tonic NMDA current at the end of the first postnatal week. GluN2C/GluN2D-containing NMDA receptors mediate the majority of this current and contribute to the resting membrane potential and intrinsic properties of developing putative parvalbumin interneurons. Pharmacological blockade of GluN2C/GluN2D-containing NMDA receptors in vivo during the period of tonic interneuron activation, but not later, leads to lasting decreases in interneuron morphological complexity and causes deficits in cortical inhibition later in life. These results demonstrate that dynamic ambient glutamate signaling contributes to cortical interneuron maturation via tonic activation of GluN2C/GluN2D-containing NMDA receptors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Inhibitory GABAergic interneurons make up 20% of cortical neurons and are critical to controlling cortical network activity. Dysfunction of cortical inhibition is associated with multiple neurological disorders, including epilepsy. Establishing inhibitory cortical networks requires in utero proliferation, differentiation, and migration of immature GABAergic interneurons, and subsequent postnatal morphological maturation and circuit integration. Here, we demonstrate that ambient glutamate provides tonic activation of immature, putative parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneurons in the neonatal cortex via high-affinity NMDA receptors. When this activation is blocked, GABAergic interneuron maturation is disrupted, and cortical networks exhibit lasting abnormal hyperexcitability. We conclude that temporally precise activation of developing cortical interneurons by ambient glutamate is critically important for establishing normal cortical inhibition.


Subject(s)
Glutamic Acid/metabolism , Interneurons/metabolism , Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism , Sensorimotor Cortex/metabolism , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology , Extracellular Fluid/drug effects , Extracellular Fluid/metabolism , Female , Interneurons/drug effects , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , Organ Culture Techniques , Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/agonists , Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/antagonists & inhibitors , Sensorimotor Cortex/drug effects
5.
eNeuro ; 4(5)2017.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29109971

ABSTRACT

Developmental cortical malformations (DCMs) result from pre- and perinatal insults, as well as genetic mutations. Hypoxia, viral infection, and traumatic injury are the most common environmental causes of DCMs, and are associated with the subsyndromes focal polymicrogyria and focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) Type IIId, both of which have a high incidence of epilepsy. Understanding the molecular signals that lead to the formation of a hyperexcitable network in DCMs is critical to devising novel treatment strategies. In a previous study using the freeze-lesion (FL) murine model of DCM, we found that levels of thrombospondin (TSP) and the calcium channel auxiliary subunit α2δ-1 were elevated. TSP binds to α2δ-1 to drive the formation of excitatory synapses during development, suggesting that overactivation of this pathway may lead to exuberant excitatory synaptogenesis and network hyperexcitability seen in DCMs. In that study, antagonizing TSP/α2δ-1 signaling using the drug gabapentin (GBP) reduced many FL-induced pathologies. Here, we used mice with a genetic deletion of α2δ-1 to determine how α2δ-1 contributes to cell death, elevated excitatory synapse number, and in vitro network function after FL and to examine the molecular specificity of GBP's effects. We identified a critical role for α2δ-1 in FL-induced pathologies and in mediating the neuroprotective effects of GBP. Interestingly, genetic deletion of α2δ-1 did not eliminate GBP's effects on synaptogenesis, suggesting that GBP can have α2δ-1-independent effects. Taken together these studies suggests that inhibiting α2δ-1 signaling may have therapeutic promise to reduce cell death and network reorganization associated with insult-induced DCMs.


Subject(s)
Amines/pharmacology , Calcium Channels/metabolism , Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids/pharmacology , Malformations of Cortical Development/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Neuroprotection/physiology , Neuroprotective Agents/pharmacology , gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/pharmacology , Animals , Calcium Channels/deficiency , Calcium Channels/genetics , Cell Death/drug effects , Cell Death/physiology , Disease Models, Animal , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/drug effects , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/physiology , Female , Freezing , Gabapentin , Male , Malformations of Cortical Development/drug therapy , Malformations of Cortical Development/pathology , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Miniature Postsynaptic Potentials/drug effects , Miniature Postsynaptic Potentials/physiology , Neural Pathways/drug effects , Neural Pathways/metabolism , Neurons/drug effects , Neurons/pathology , Neuroprotection/drug effects , Somatosensory Cortex/abnormalities , Somatosensory Cortex/drug effects , Somatosensory Cortex/growth & development , Somatosensory Cortex/metabolism , Synapses/drug effects , Synapses/metabolism , Synapses/pathology , Tissue Culture Techniques
6.
Immunology ; 152(4): 589-601, 2017 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28742222

ABSTRACT

Seizures are due to excessive, synchronous neuronal firing in the brain and are characteristic of epilepsy, the fourth most prevalent neurological disease. We report handling-induced and spontaneous seizures in mice deficient for CD39, a cell-surface ATPase highly expressed on microglial cells. CD39-/- mice with handling-induced seizures had normal input-output curves and paired-pulse ratio measured from hippocampal slices and lacked microgliosis, astrogliosis or overt cell loss in the hippocampus and cortex. As expected, however, the cerebrospinal fluid of CD39-/- mice contained increased levels of ATP and decreased levels of adenosine. To determine if immune activation was involved in seizure progression, we challenged mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and measured the effect on microglia activation and seizure severity. Systemic LPS challenge resulted in increased cortical staining of Iba1/CD68 and gene array data from purified microglia predicted increased expression of interleukin-8, triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1, p38, pattern recognition receptors, death receptor, nuclear factor-κB , complement, acute phase, and interleukin-6 signalling pathways in CD39-/- versus CD39+/+ mice. However, LPS treatment did not affect handling-induced seizures. In addition, microglia-specific CD39 deletion in adult mice was not sufficient to cause seizures, suggesting instead that altered expression of CD39 during development or on non-microglial cells such as vascular endothelial cells may promote the seizure phenotype. In summary, we show a correlation between altered extracellular ATP/adenosine ratio and a previously unreported seizure phenotype in CD39-/- mice. This work provides groundwork for further elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of epilepsy.


Subject(s)
Adenosine Triphosphate/immunology , Adenosine/immunology , Apyrase/deficiency , Cerebral Cortex/immunology , Hippocampus/immunology , Seizures/immunology , Adenosine/genetics , Adenosine Triphosphate/genetics , Animals , Antigens, CD/immunology , Apyrase/immunology , Calcium-Binding Proteins/genetics , Calcium-Binding Proteins/immunology , Cerebral Cortex/pathology , Hippocampus/pathology , Lipopolysaccharides/toxicity , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Microfilament Proteins/genetics , Microfilament Proteins/immunology , Seizures/genetics , Seizures/pathology
7.
Neurobiol Dis ; 98: 149-157, 2017 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27852007

ABSTRACT

Infantile spasms (IS) are a catastrophic childhood epilepsy syndrome characterized by flexion-extension spasms during infancy that progress to chronic seizures and cognitive deficits in later life. The molecular causes of IS are poorly defined. Genetic screens of individuals with IS have identified multiple risk genes, several of which are predicted to alter ß-catenin pathways. However, evidence linking malfunction of ß-catenin pathways and IS is lacking. Here, we show that conditional deletion in mice of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene (APC cKO), the major negative regulator of ß-catenin, leads to excessive ß-catenin levels and multiple salient features of human IS. Compared with wild-type littermates, neonatal APC cKO mice exhibit flexion-extension motor spasms and abnormal high-amplitude electroencephalographic discharges. Additionally, the frequency of excitatory postsynaptic currents is increased in layer V pyramidal cells, the major output neurons of the cerebral cortex. At adult ages, APC cKOs display spontaneous electroclinical seizures. These data provide the first evidence that malfunctions of APC/ß-catenin pathways cause pathophysiological changes consistent with IS. Our findings demonstrate that the APC cKO is a new genetic model of IS, provide novel insights into molecular and functional alterations that can lead to IS, and suggest novel targets for therapeutic intervention.


Subject(s)
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein/deficiency , Disease Models, Animal , Neurons/metabolism , Seizures/metabolism , Spasms, Infantile/metabolism , beta Catenin/metabolism , Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein/genetics , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Cerebral Cortex/growth & development , Cerebral Cortex/metabolism , Cerebral Cortex/pathology , Electroencephalography , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/physiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Mice, Knockout , Movement/physiology , Neurons/pathology , Phenotype , Seizures/pathology , Signal Transduction , Spasms, Infantile/pathology , Tissue Culture Techniques
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