Hyperthermia-induced seizures in rat pups with preexisting ischemic brain injury

Effects of hyperthermia and continuous hippocampal stimulation on the immature and adult brain

Whether febrile seizures lead to hippocampal necrosis is a question of paramount clinical importance. This study attempted to simulate a complex febrile seizure, compared with hyperthermia (HYP) alone and prolonged seizure alone (produced by continuous hippocampal stimulation (CHS)). Four groups of rats were studied at each of two ages, immature (postnatal day, P20) and adult (P60). Group 1 was subjected to 45 min of HYP (body temperature 40 degrees C) plus CHS, Group 2 received 45 min of HYP alone, Group 3 got 45 min of CHS alone, and Group 4 was sham-handled control rats. Baseline and post-session EEGs were recorded in all groups. Subsequently, brains were examined histologically for evidence of hippocampal damage. Both CHS-treated groups (with and without HYP) exhibited behavioral and EEG seizures while the group undergoing HYP alone did not have seizures. There were no gross histological lesions in any group. Cell counts in regions CA1, CA3, dentate gyrus and dentate hilus did not differ in rats under any condition of hyperthermia and CHS, in either P20 or P60 rats compared to age-matched controls. These results indicate that both immature and mature rodents are resistant to hyperthermic brain damage and raises the question of whether febrile seizures play a role in the genesis of mesial temporal sclerosis.

Febrile seizures: an appropriate-aged model suitable for long-term studies

Seizures induced by fever are the most prevalent age-specific seizures in infants and young children. Whether they result in long-term sequelae such as neuronal loss and temporal lobe epilepsy is controversial. Prospective studies of human febrile seizures have found no adverse effects on the developing brain. However, adults with temporal lobe epilepsy and associated limbic cell loss frequently have a history of prolonged febrile seizures in early life. These critical issues may be resolved using appropriate animal models. Published models of hyperthermic seizures have used 'adolescent' and older rats, have yielded a low percentage of animals with actual seizures, or have suffered from a high mortality, rendering them unsuitable for long-term studies. This article describes the establishment of a model of febrile seizures using the infant rat. Hyperthermia was induced by a regulated stream of mildly heated air, and the seizures were determined by both behavioral and electroencephalographic (EEG) criteria. Stereotyped seizures were generated in 93.6% of 10-11-day-old rats. EEG correlates of these seizures were not evident in cortical recordings, but were clearly present in depth recordings from the amygdala and hippocampus. Prolonged febrile seizures could be induced without burns, yielding a low mortality (11%) and long-term survival. In summary, in infant rat paradigm of EEG-confirmed, hyperthermia-induced seizures which is suitable for long-term studies is described. This model should be highly valuable for studying the mechanisms and sequelae of febrile seizures.

Suppression of cortical epileptic afterdischarges in developing rats by anticonvulsants increasing GABAergic inhibition

The anticonvulsant action of three drugs facilitating GABAergic inhibition by different mechanisms (valproate, phenobarbital and progabide) was studied in 229 young rats (12, 18 and 25 days old) with implanted electrodes. Epileptic afterdischarges (ADs) elicited by electrical stimulation of the sensorimotor cortex were used as a model. All three drugs were able to suppress ADs, even the lowest doses used blocked the prolongation seen with repeated stimulations under control conditions. In addition to these general effects, some differences among the three drugs were observed: phenobarbital (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg i.p.) exhibited marked anticonvulsant action in all three age groups whereas valproate (200 and 400 mg/kg i.p.) was somewhat less effective in the youngest rats studied than in the two older groups. Progabide exhibited an effect similar to valproate when a higher dose (150 mg/kg i.p.) was taken into account, but the lower dose (75 mg/kg i.p.) was most efficient in 12 day old rat pups. Our data support the possibility that cortical ADs represent a model of human myoclonic seizures. In addition, they suggest an uneven development of individual components of the GABAergic inhibitory system.

Neuronal migration disorders increase susceptibility to hyperthermia-induced seizures in developing rats

PURPOSE

Retrospective studies suggest that adult patients with intractable epilepsy may have a history of febrile seizures in childhood. Risk factors for a febrile seizure may include the rate of increase in the core temperature (T-core), its peak (Tmax), the duration of the temperature increase, or an underlying brain pathology. Recently, neuronal migration disorders (NMD) have been diagnosed with increasing frequency in patients with epilepsy, but the link between NMD, febrile seizures, and epilepsy is unclear. We studied rat pups rendered hyperthermic to ascertain the incidence of seizures, mortality, and extent of hippocampal cell loss in each group.

METHODS

We exposed 14-day-old rat pups with experimentally induced NMD (n = 39) and age-matched controls (n = 30) to hyperthermia (core body temperature > 42 degrees C).

RESULTS

The incidence of hyperthermia-induced behavioral seizures and mortality rate were significantly higher in rats with NMD than in controls (p < 0.05). The longer duration of hyperthermia resulted in a higher incidence of behavioral seizures and higher mortality rate (p < 0.05). In rats with NMD, hyperthermia resulted in hippocampal pyramidal cell loss independent of seizure activity; the extent of neuronal damage correlated positively with the duration of hyperthermia. In control rats, occasional neuronal loss and astrocytosis occurred only after prolonged hyperthermia.

CONCLUSIONS

In immature rats, NMD lower the threshold to hyperthermia-induced behavioral seizures and hyperthermia in the presence of NMD may cause irreversible hippocampal neuronal damage.

The role of vasopressin, somatostatin and GABA in febrile convulsion in rat pups

In order to further elucidate a possible role of neuropeptides and GABA in the pathogenesis of febrile convulsions, we studied changes of immunoreactive-arginine vasopressin (IR-AVP), IR-somatostatin (IR-SRIF) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the rat brain after febrile convulsions induced by ultra-red light (UR). Male Wistar rats at 16 days of age irradiated with UR developed generalized convulsions after 4.9 +/- 0.5 min irradiation. Six rats were killed by microwave irradiation 3 min after UR irradiation prior to convulsion development, and 29 rats were killed either 0 min, 2 h, 6 h, 24 h or 48 h after febrile convulsions. Non-irradiated rats served as controls. The rat brain was dissected into 4 regions; amygdala, hypothalamus, cortex and hippocampus, and subjected to radioimmunoassays. IR-AVP levels in hypothalamus were increased 3 min after UR and decreased at 2 h and 6 h after the convulsions. IR-SRIF levels were increased in cortex and hippocampus at 3 min after UR and 0 min after the convulsions. The GABA content increased in all regions tested at 2 h and 6 h after the convulsions. These results suggest that AVP, SRIF and GABA may be involved in the pathogenesis of febrile convulsions in different ways.

Effect of postnatal anoxia on seizure susceptibility in rats: bicuculline-induced seizures and pretreatment with iproniazid

The effects of anoxia at 10 days of age on seizures induced by bicuculline (BIC), a specific antagonist of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and BIC-induced seizures after pretreatment with iproniazid (IPR), a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, were investigated in male adult rats. The rats with postnatal anoxia (Group A) were significantly more susceptible to BIC than the control rats (Group C). On the other hand, BIC-induced seizures in both groups were suppressed by IPR pretreatment. Especially, the suppression of BIC-induced seizures which was made by pretreatment with IPR at small doses was more apparent in Group A as compared with Group C. The present study suggests that the enhanced seizure susceptibility of adult rats with postnatal anoxia involves brain monoaminergic system.

Differential effects of perinatal hypoxia and anoxia on long term seizure susceptibility in the rat

We have previously demonstrated that hypoxia is acutely epileptogenic in the immature rat but not in the adult. The window during which hypoxia induces seizures in the rat ranges from postnatal day (P) 5-17, with the most severe seizures occurring at P10-12. Perinatal hypoxia resulted in significantly more acute seizure activity than perinatal anoxia. The present study evaluates the long term effects of perinatal hypoxia versus anoxia. Animals were exposed to hypoxia (3%O2) or anoxia (0%O2) at P10 and challenged later in adulthood (P55-60) with administration of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) (45 mg/kg subcutaneously). Compared to normal littermate controls, the animals which had been exposed to perinatal hypoxia had a significantly higher frequency of generalized convulsions (GC) and a significantly shorter latency to the first myoclonic jerk (MJ) after PTZ. In contrast, perinatal anoxia did not alter long term seizure susceptibility. These results are discussed in context of previous studies which have shown variable long term effects using different models of perinatal hypoxia and/or ischemia.

Brain water content, brain blood volume, blood chemistry, and pathology in a model of cerebral edema

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The objective was to correlate regional changes during brain water content with alterations in blood chemistry and cerebral pathology during hypo-osmotic edema.

PARTICIPANTS

Sprague-Dawley male adult rats were used in these studies.

DESIGN

Animals were block-randomized to receive either an intraperitoneal distilled water injection equivalent to 5% or 15% of their body weight or no injection (controls). Rats were sacrificed 15 or 60 minutes after water injection or at an equivalent time for controls.

INTERVENTIONS

No interventions were performed.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Water content of cerebral cortical gray and white matter was calculated from measurements of tissue specific gravity. Blood plasma osmolality and sodium and potassium concentrations were determined at various times after water injection. An index of blood-brain barrier permeability was obtained by measuring brain red blood cell and plasma volumes. A qualitative assessment of edema was made from light and electron micrographs of the cerebral cortex. We found that water injection produced a dose-dependent decrease in plasma osmolality and sodium concentration within 15 minutes. Cortical water content was unchanged after this period. An influx of water into cerebral gray, and, less readily, into cerebral white matter occurred during the next 15 minutes. Whole blood specific gravity and brain blood content were unchanged and thus did not confound the measurement of cerebral water content. Hematocrit was increased 60 minutes after a 15% water injection. The blood-brain barrier remained intact throughout this period. Microscopy revealed astrocytic swelling with slight extracellular fluid accumulation 60 minutes after the water injection.

CONCLUSIONS

Homeostatic mechanisms in the cerebral cortex can maintain constant water content for at least 15 minutes during maintained intravascular hypo-osmolality. Fluid that subsequently moves into the tissue primarily enters an intracellular compartment. This model will be useful in investigating physiological mechanisms of brain water regulation and the pathogenesis of brain edema, a common clinical entity in emergency conditions.

The effects of perinatal hypoxia on pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in developing rats

The effects of perinatal hypoxia on susceptibility to seizures due to a single dose (55 mg/kg, i.p.) of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) were examined, in 15-, 20-, 30-, 60- and 90 to 120-day-old rats. The rats exposed to hypoxia at 10 days of age and the unexposed controls showed similar developmental changes in the types of seizures, ictal electro-encephalograms and severity scores, the last being lowest at 30 days of age. However, the susceptibility to seizures induced by PTZ, which was measured by the mean number of generalized convulsions (GCs) as well as a mean duration of the 1st GC and severity score, was more enhanced in the rats exposed to perinatal hypoxia than in the control group at every age. The present study suggests that hypoxia in rats results in greater seizure susceptibility throughout the developmental period.

Etiologic and preventive aspects of epilepsy in the child--bridging the gap between laboratory and clinic

Four broad categories of basic phenomena are pertinent to developing ways to prevent epilepsy. These include mechanisms of epileptogenesis, ictal initiation and temporary entrainment by the seizure discharge of normally functioning brain, seizure propagation, and control mechanisms that function both to restrain the cascade of epileptic events culminating in a seizure and to arrest the epileptic event and restore the interictal state. In newborns and children, hypoxia-ischemia is a major factor leading to epileptogenesis, and several schemes are proposed to classify, quantify, and prevent hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Control mechanisms must be better understood in order to develop prophylactic recommendations for epilepsy, and an experimental model of "kindling antagonism" may increase our understanding of these. Programs of prevention of seizures in children will evolve only if basic researchers and clinicians work productively together to develop an adequate understanding of factors important in epileptogenesis and antiepileptogenic control mechanisms.