Experimental and theoretical investigations on effects of focal brain cooling on the generalized seizures

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25540136
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Life / Health / Medical informatics
• Research Institution: Yamaguchi University
• Principal Investigator: SUZUKI Michiyasu 山口大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (80196873)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ISHIZUKA Satoru 九州工業大学, 大学院生命体工学研究科, 准教授 (40124804)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): INOUE Takao 山口大学, 医学部附属病院, 助教 (80513225)
• Research Collaborator: HE Yeting 山口大学, 大学院医学系研究科
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 局所脳冷却 / てんかん / ビククリン / 全般性てんかん

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The goal of the study was to investigate the effects of focal brain cooling (FBC) on bicuculline-induced generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCSs) in rats. A cooling device was implanted in the right somatosensory cortex in rats. Five days after implantation, GTCSs were produced by intraperitoneal injection of bicuculline under free-moving conditions. Ten minutes after GTCS onset, the temperature of the cortical surface was reduced to 15, 10 or 5゜C for 10 min. ECoG and seizure symptoms were continuously monitored and the severity of each GTCS was scored using the Racine stage.Temperature reduction to 15, 10 and 5 significantly improved Racine stages and suppressed epileptiform discharges (EDs). These findings indicate that FBC has an anticonvulsant effect on GTCSs and may suppress EDs in the cooled cortex and in the remote cortex, which has nerve fiber connections from the cooled cortex via the corpus callosum.

Free Research Field

脳神経外科学