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Rebound burst firing in the reticular thalamus is not essential for pharmacological absence seizures in mice.

ABSTRACT: Intrinsic burst and rhythmic burst discharges (RBDs) are elicited by activation of T-type Ca(2+) channels in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). TRN bursts are believed to be critical for generation and maintenance of thalamocortical oscillations, leading to the spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs), which are the hallmarks of absence seizures. We observed that the RBDs were completely abolished, whereas tonic firing was significantly increased, in TRN neurons from mice in which the gene for the T-type Ca(2+) channel, CaV3.3, was deleted (CaV3.3(-/-)). Contrary to expectations, there was an increased susceptibility to drug-induced SWDs both in CaV3.3(-/-) mice and in mice in which the CaV3.3 gene was silenced predominantly in the TRN. CaV3.3(-/-) mice also showed enhanced inhibitory synaptic drive onto TC neurons. Finally, a double knockout of both CaV3.3 and CaV3.2, which showed complete elimination of burst firing and RBDs in TRN neurons, also displayed enhanced drug-induced SWDs and absence seizures. On the other hand, tonic firing in the TRN was increased in these mice, suggesting that increased tonic firing in the TRN may be sufficient for drug-induced SWD generation in the absence of burst firing. These results call into question the role of burst firing in TRN neurons in the genesis of SWDs, calling for a rethinking of the mechanism for absence seizure induction.

SUBMITTER: Lee SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4136605 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Rebound burst firing in the reticular thalamus is not essential for pharmacological absence seizures in mice.

Lee Seung Eun SE Lee Jaekwang J Latchoumane Charles C Lee Boyoung B Oh Soo-Jin SJ Saud Zahangir Alam ZA Park Cheongdahm C Sun Ning N Cheong Eunji E Chen Chien-Chang CC Choi Eui-Ju EJ Lee C Justin CJ Shin Hee-Sup HS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20140728 32

Intrinsic burst and rhythmic burst discharges (RBDs) are elicited by activation of T-type Ca(2+) channels in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). TRN bursts are believed to be critical for generation and maintenance of thalamocortical oscillations, leading to the spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs), which are the hallmarks of absence seizures. We observed that the RBDs were completely abolished, whereas tonic firing was significantly increased, in TRN neurons from mice in which the gene for the T- ...[more]

PMID: 25071191

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Project description:Using the gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) model of absence seizures in Long-Evans rats, this study investigated if 2.5-6 Hz paroxysmal discharges (PDs) induced by GBL were synchronized among the thalamocortical system and the hippocampus, and whether inactivation of the hippocampus affected PDs.Local field potentials were recorded by chronically implanted depth electrodes in the neocortex (frontal, parietal, visual), ventrolateral thalamus and dorsal hippocampal CA1 area. In separate experiments, multiple unit recordings were made at the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell layer, or the mid-septotemporal hippocampus was inactivated by local infusion of GABAA receptor agonist muscimol.As PDs developed following GBL injection, coherence of local field potentials at 2.5-6 Hz increased between the hippocampus and thalamus, and between the hippocampus and the neocortex. Hippocampal theta rhythm was disrupted when GBL induced immobility in the rats. The probability of hippocampal multiple unit firing significantly increased at 40-80 ms prior to the negative peak of thalamic PDs. Coherence between hippocampal multiple unit activity and thalamic field potentials at 2.5-6 Hz was significantly increased after GBL injection. Muscimol infusion to inactivate the mid-septotemporal hippocampus, as compared to saline infusion, significantly decreased the peak frequency of the PDs induced by GBL, decreased 30-120 Hz hippocampal gamma power, and hastened the transition of PDs to 1-2 Hz slow waves.During GBL induced 2.5-6 Hz PDs, a hallmark of absence seizure, increased synchronization between the hippocampus and the thalamocortical network was indicated by frequency and temporal correlation analysis. These results suggest that the hippocampus was entrained by thalamocortical activity in the present model of absence seizures. Prolonged synchronization of the hippocampus may result in synaptic alterations that may explain the cognitive and memory deficits in some patients with absence seizures and absence status epilepticus.

Project description:BackgroundThe reticular thalamus gates thalamocortical information flow via finely tuned inhibition of thalamocortical cells in the mediodorsal thalamus. Brain imaging studies in humans show that the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) modulates activity and connectivity within the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit, altering consciousness. However, the electrophysiological effects of LSD on the neurons in these brain areas remain elusive.MethodsWe employed in vivo extracellular single-unit recordings in anesthetized adult male mice to investigate the dose-response effects of cumulative LSD doses (5-160 µg/kg, intraperitoneal) upon reticular thalamus GABAergic neurons, thalamocortical relay neurons of the mediodorsal thalamus, and pyramidal neurons of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex.ResultsLSD decreased spontaneous firing and burst-firing activity in 50% of the recorded reticular thalamus neurons in a dose-response fashion starting at 10 µg/kg. Another population of neurons (50%) increased firing and burst-firing activity starting at 40 µg/kg. This modulation was accompanied by an increase in firing and burst-firing activity of thalamocortical neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus. On the contrary, LSD excited infralimbic prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons only at the highest dose tested (160 µg/kg). The dopamine D2 receptor (D2) antagonist haloperidol administered after LSD increased burst-firing activity in the reticular thalamus neurons inhibited by LSD, decreased firing and burst-firing activity in the mediodorsal thalamus, and showed a trend towards further increasing the firing activity of neurons of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex.ConclusionLSD modulates firing and burst-firing activity of reticular thalamus neurons and disinhibits mediodorsal thalamus relay neurons at least partially in a D2-mediated fashion. These effects of LSD on thalamocortical gating could explain its consciousness-altering effects in humans.

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Rebound burst firing in the reticular thalamus is not essential for pharmacological absence seizures in mice.

Publications

Rebound burst firing in the reticular thalamus is not essential for pharmacological absence seizures in mice.

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