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Wenzel M, Huberfeld G, Grayden DB, de Curtis M, Trevelyan AJ. A debate on the neuronal origin of focal seizures. Epilepsia 2023; 64 Suppl 3:S37-S48. [PMID: 37183507 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
A critical question regarding how focal seizures start is whether we can identify particular cell classes that drive the pathological process. This was the topic for debate at the recent International Conference for Technology and Analysis of Seizures (ICTALS) meeting (July 2022, Bern, CH) that we summarize here. The debate has been fueled in recent times by the introduction of powerful new ways to manipulate subpopulations of cells in relative isolation, mostly using optogenetics. The motivation for resolving the debate is to identify novel targets for therapeutic interventions through a deeper understanding of the etiology of seizures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Wenzel
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gilles Huberfeld
- Neurology Department, Hopital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild, Paris, France
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), College de France, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - David B Grayden
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Graeme Clark Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Marco de Curtis
- Epilepsy Unit, Fondazione I.R.C.C.S., Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrew J Trevelyan
- Newcastle University Biosciences Institute, Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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Aquilino MS, Whyte-Fagundes P, Lukewich MK, Zhang L, Bardakjian BL, Zoidl GR, Carlen PL. Pannexin-1 Deficiency Decreases Epileptic Activity in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21207510. [PMID: 33053775 PMCID: PMC7589538 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: Pannexin-1 (Panx1) is suspected of having a critical role in modulating neuronal excitability and acute neurological insults. Herein, we assess the changes in behavioral and electrophysiological markers of excitability associated with Panx1 via three distinct models of epilepsy. Methods Control and Panx1 knockout C57Bl/6 mice of both sexes were monitored for their behavioral and electrographic responses to seizure-generating stimuli in three epilepsy models—(1) systemic injection of pentylenetetrazol, (2) acute electrical kindling of the hippocampus and (3) neocortical slice exposure to 4-aminopyridine. Phase-amplitude cross-frequency coupling was used to assess changes in an epileptogenic state resulting from Panx1 deletion. Results: Seizure activity was suppressed in Panx1 knockouts and by application of Panx1 channel blockers, Brilliant Blue-FCF and probenecid, across all epilepsy models. In response to pentylenetetrazol, WT mice spent a greater proportion of time experiencing severe (stage 6) seizures as compared to Panx1-deficient mice. Following electrical stimulation of the hippocampal CA3 region, Panx1 knockouts had significantly shorter evoked afterdischarges and were resistant to kindling. In response to 4-aminopyridine, neocortical field recordings in slices of Panx1 knockout mice showed reduced instances of electrographic seizure-like events. Cross-frequency coupling analysis of these field potentials highlighted a reduced coupling of excitatory delta–gamma and delta-HF rhythms in the Panx1 knockout. Significance: These results suggest that Panx1 plays a pivotal role in maintaining neuronal hyperexcitability in epilepsy models and that genetic or pharmacological targeting of Panx1 has anti-convulsant effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark S. Aquilino
- IBME, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Rosebrugh Building, Room 407, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; (B.L.B.); (P.L.C.)
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, 135 Nassau Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; (M.K.L.); (L.Z.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Paige Whyte-Fagundes
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; (P.W.-F.); (G.R.Z.)
| | - Mark K. Lukewich
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, 135 Nassau Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; (M.K.L.); (L.Z.)
| | - Liang Zhang
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, 135 Nassau Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; (M.K.L.); (L.Z.)
| | - Berj L. Bardakjian
- IBME, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Rosebrugh Building, Room 407, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; (B.L.B.); (P.L.C.)
| | - Georg R. Zoidl
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; (P.W.-F.); (G.R.Z.)
| | - Peter L. Carlen
- IBME, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Rosebrugh Building, Room 407, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; (B.L.B.); (P.L.C.)
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, 135 Nassau Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; (M.K.L.); (L.Z.)
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Rich S, Chameh HM, Rafiee M, Ferguson K, Skinner FK, Valiante TA. Inhibitory Network Bistability Explains Increased Interneuronal Activity Prior to Seizure Onset. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 13:81. [PMID: 32009908 PMCID: PMC6972503 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2019.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent experimental literature has revealed that GABAergic interneurons exhibit increased activity prior to seizure onset, alongside additional evidence that such activity is synchronous and may arise abruptly. These findings have led some to hypothesize that this interneuronal activity may serve a causal role in driving the sudden change in brain activity that heralds seizure onset. However, the mechanisms predisposing an inhibitory network toward increased activity, specifically prior to ictogenesis, without a permanent change to inputs to the system remain unknown. We address this question by comparing simulated inhibitory networks containing control interneurons and networks containing hyperexcitable interneurons modeled to mimic treatment with 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP), an agent commonly used to model seizures in vivo and in vitro. Our in silico study demonstrates that model inhibitory networks with 4-AP interneurons are more prone than their control counterparts to exist in a bistable state in which asynchronously firing networks can abruptly transition into synchrony driven by a brief perturbation. This transition into synchrony brings about a corresponding increase in overall firing rate. We further show that perturbations driving this transition could arise in vivo from background excitatory synaptic activity in the cortex. Thus, we propose that bistability explains the increase in interneuron activity observed experimentally prior to seizure via a transition from incoherent to coherent dynamics. Moreover, bistability explains why inhibitory networks containing hyperexcitable interneurons are more vulnerable to this change in dynamics, and how such networks can undergo a transition without a permanent change in the drive. We note that while our comparisons are between networks of control and ictogenic neurons, the conclusions drawn specifically relate to the unusual dynamics that arise prior to seizure, and not seizure onset itself. However, providing a mechanistic explanation for this phenomenon specifically in a pro-ictogenic setting generates experimentally testable hypotheses regarding the role of inhibitory neurons in pre-ictal neural dynamics, and motivates further computational research into mechanisms underlying a newly hypothesized multi-step pathway to seizure initiated by inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Rich
- Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Homeira Moradi Chameh
- Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marjan Rafiee
- Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Katie Ferguson
- Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Frances K Skinner
- Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Taufik A Valiante
- Division of Clinical and Computational Neuroscience, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Codadu NK, Graham RT, Burman RJ, Jackson‐Taylor RT, Raimondo JV, Trevelyan AJ, Parrish RR. Divergent paths to seizure-like events. Physiol Rep 2019; 7:e14226. [PMID: 31587522 PMCID: PMC6778598 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Much debate exists about how the brain transitions into an epileptic seizure. One source of confusion is that there are likely to be critical differences between experimental seizure models. To address this, we have compared the evolving activity patterns in two widely used in vitro models of epileptic discharges. Brain slices from young adult mice were prepared in the same way and bathed either in 0 Mg2+ or 100 µmol/L 4AP artificial cerebrospinal fluid. We have found that while local field potential recordings of epileptiform discharges in the two models appear broadly similar, patch-clamp analysis reveals an important difference in the relative degree of glutamatergic involvement. 4AP affects parvalbumin-expressing interneurons more than other cortical populations, destabilizing their resting state and inducing spontaneous bursting behavior. Consequently, the most prominent pattern of transient discharge ("interictal event") in this model is almost purely GABAergic, although the transition to seizure-like events (SLEs) involves pyramidal recruitment. In contrast, interictal discharges in 0 Mg2+ are only maintained by a very large glutamatergic component that also involves transient discharges of the interneurons. Seizure-like events in 0 Mg2+ have significantly higher power in the high gamma frequency band (60-120Hz) than these events do in 4AP, and are greatly delayed in onset by diazepam, unlike 4AP events. We, therefore, conclude that the 0 Mg2+ and 4AP models display fundamentally different levels of glutamatergic drive, demonstrating how ostensibly similar pathological discharges can arise from different sources. We contend that similar interpretative issues will also be relevant to clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neela K. Codadu
- Institute of NeuroscienceMedical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Robert T. Graham
- Institute of NeuroscienceMedical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Richard J. Burman
- Division of Cell BiologyDepartment of Human Biology, Neuroscience Institute and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | | | - Joseph V. Raimondo
- Division of Cell BiologyDepartment of Human Biology, Neuroscience Institute and Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Andrew J. Trevelyan
- Institute of NeuroscienceMedical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - R. Ryley Parrish
- Institute of NeuroscienceMedical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
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Kassiri H, Chen FD, Salam MT, Chang M, Vatankhahghadim B, Carlen P, Valiante TA, Genov R. Arbitrary-Waveform Electro-Optical Intracranial Neurostimulator With Load-Adaptive High-Voltage Compliance. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2019; 27:582-593. [PMID: 30802868 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2019.2900455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
A hybrid 16-channel current-mode and the 8-channel optical implantable neurostimulating system is presented. The system generates arbitrary-waveform charge-balanced current-mode electrical pulses with an amplitude ranging from 50 [Formula: see text] to 10 mA. An impedance monitoring feedback loop is employed to automatically adjust the supply voltage, yielding a load-optimized power dissipation. The 8-channel optical stimulator drives an array of LEDs, each with a maximum of 25 mA current amplitude, and reuses the arbitrary-waveform generation function of the electrical stimulator. The LEDs are assembled within a custom-made 4×4 ECoG grid electrode array, enabling precise optical stimulation of neurons with a 300 [Formula: see text] pitch between the LEDs and simultaneous monitoring of the neural response by the ECoG electrode, at different distances of the stimulation site. The hybrid stimulation system is implemented on a mini-PCB, and receives power and stimulation commands inductively through a second board and a coil stacked on top of it. The entire system is sized at 3×2 . 5×1 cm3 and weighs 7 grams. The system efficacy for electrical and optical stimulation is validated in-vivo using separate chronic and acute experiments.
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