Audiogenic Seizures and Social Deficits: No Aggravation Found in Krushinsky-Molodkina Rats

p53 inhibition during audiogenic kindling in Krushinsky-Molodkina rats attenuates seizure severity and prevents neurodegeneration in the hippocampus

In the present study, we analyzed the effects of the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α (PFT) on the expression of brainstem audiogenic seizures (AGS) and limbic seizures in Krushinsky-Molodkina (KM) rats genetically prone to AGS. To reproduce limbic/mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE)-like condition in KM rats, we used repetitive AGS stimulations (audiogenic kindling) during 14 days. In parallel with AGS stimulations, KM rats received daily intraperitoneal injections of PFT. Our data demonstrated that PFT treatment significantly decreased the duration and severity of both brainstem AGS and limbic seizures. In addition, PFT partially prevented the kindling-induced neurodegeneration and activation of apoptotic mechanisms in the hippocampus of KM rats. Moreover, PFT treatment led to the persistent upregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, along with GluA2 and GluN2A, glutamate receptor subunits which are involved into the mechanisms supporting cell survival and preventing neuronal hyperexcitability. Altogether, our data confirm that p53 can be considered as a perspective target for the development of novel strategies to mitigate seizure activity and avert its deleterious consequences.

Temporal action localisation in video data containing rabbit behavioural patterns

In this paper we present the results of a research on artificial intelligence based approaches to temporal action localisation in video recordings of rabbit behavioural patterns. When using the artificial intelligence, special attention should be paid to quality and quantity of data collected for the research. Conducting the experiments in science may take long time and involve expensive preparatory work. Artificial intelligence based approaches can be applied to different kinds of actors in the video including animals, humans, intelligent agents, etc. The peculiarities of using these approaches in specific research conditions can be of particular importance for project cost reduction. In this paper we analyze the peculiarities of using the frame-by-frame classification based approach to temporal localisation of rabbit actions in video data and propose a metric for evaluating its consistency. The analysis of existing approaches described in the literature indicates that the aforementioned approach has high accuracy (up to 99%) and F1 score of temporal action localisation (up to 0.97) thus fulfilling conditions for substantial reduction or total exclusion of manual data labeling from the process of studying actor behaviour patterns in video data collected in experimental setting. We conducted further investigation in order to determine the optimal number of manually labeled frames required to achieve 99% accuracy of automatic labeling and studied the dependence of labeling accuracy on the number of actors presented in the training data.

Aging of Krushinsky-Molodkina audiogenic rats is accompanied with pronounced neurodegeneration and dysfunction of the glutamatergic system in the hippocampus

Advancing age strongly correlates with an increased risk of epilepsy development. On the other hand, epilepsy may exacerbate the negative effects of aging making it pathological. In turn, the possible link between aging and epileptogenesis is dysregulation of glutamatergic transmission. In the present study, we analyzed the functional state of the glutamatergic system in the hippocampus of aging (18-month-old) Krushinsky-Molodkina (KM) audiogenic rats to disclose alterations associated with aging on the background of inherited predisposition to audiogenic seizures (AGS). Naïve KM rats with no AGS experience were recruited in the experiments. Wistar rats of the corresponding age were used as a control. First of all, aging KM rats demonstrated a significant decrease in cell population and synaptopodin expression in the hippocampus indicating enhanced loss of cells and synapses. Meanwhile, elevated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and CREB and increased glutamate in the neuronal perikarya were revealed indicating increased activity of the rest hippocampal cells and increased glutamate production. However, glutamate in the fibers and synapses was mainly unchanged, and the proteins regulating glutamate exocytosis showed variable changes which could compensate each other and maintain glutamate release at the unchanged level. In addition, we revealed downregulation of NMDA-receptor subunit GluN2B and upregulation of AMPA-receptor GluA2 subunit, which could also prevent overexcitation and support cell survival in the hippocampus of aging KM rats. Nevertheless, abnormally high glutamate production, observed in aging KM rats, may provide the basis for hyperexcitability of the hippocampus and increased seizure susceptibility in old age.

Preclinical Evidence for the Role of the Yin/Yang Angiotensin System Components in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Therapeutic Target of Astaxanthin

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence is emerging with an unclear etiology, hindering effective therapeutic interventions. Recent studies suggest potential renin-angiotensin system (RAS) alterations in different neurological pathologies. However, its implications in ASD are unexplored. This research fulfills the critical gap by investigating dual arms of RAS and their interplay with Notch signaling in ASD, using a valproic acid (VPA) model and assessing astaxanthin's (AST) modulatory impacts. Experimentally, male pups from pregnant rats receiving either saline or VPA on gestation day 12.5 were divided into control and VPA groups, with subsequent AST treatment in a subset (postnatal days 34-58). Behavioral analyses, histopathological investigations, and electron microscopy provided insights into the neurobehavioral and structural changes induced by AST. Molecular investigations of male pups' cortices revealed that AST outweighs the protective RAS elements with the inhibition of the detrimental arm. This established the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory axes of RAS (ACE2/Ang1-7/MasR) in the ASD context. The results showed that AST's normalization of RAS components and Notch signaling underscore a novel therapeutic avenue in ASD, impacting neuronal integrity and behavioral outcomes. These findings affirm the integral role of RAS in ASD and highlight AST's potential as a promising treatment intervention, inviting further neurological research implications.