Development of the new therapy against epilepsy based on the mechanisms of spontaneous seizure in embryo freeze lesion rat model

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24591299
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurology
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: SHIGETO Hiroshi 九州大学, 大学病院, 講師 (50335965)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SUZUKI Satoshi 九州大学, 大学院・医学研究院, 准教授 (90294917) ; TAKASE Kei-ichiro 九州大学, 大学院, 共同研究員 (00467903) ; KAMADA Takashi 九州大学, 大学院, 共同研究員 (70614460) ; UEHARA Taira 九州大学, 大学院, 助教 (30631585)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: てんかん / 皮質異形成 / ネットワーク / 脳波 / 臨床神経生理学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have developed a new rat model, which had spontaneous seizure without any inducers such as chemical, electrical, thermal stimulations. In this study we revealed that around 70% of these model rats showed spontaneous hippocampal seizure, which appeared after 47 postnatal days. Toll like receptor 4, which plays important role in the inflammatory process, increased gradually at hippocampus of this model rat from 2 weeks after birth. Connexin 43, which is important for maintaining networks among neural cells, also increased gradually at hippocampus from 3 weeks after birth. We confirmed that several epilepsy patients had inflammatory change in their cerebrospinal fluid. These results suggest that the chronic inflammation and abnormal network may be important for the development of epileptogenesis. We speculate that anti- inflammatory and anti-connexin drugs may prevent the acquiring of epileptogenesis.

Free Research Field

医歯薬学