Project description:Epilepsy frequently develops as a result of brain insult, for example brain injury or stroke. Currently there are no tools allowing us to predict which trauma patients will eventually develop epilepsy. There is evidence that microRNAs levels are altered in the blood, making them attractive candidates for peripheral biomarkers of epilepsy. We analyzed miRNA levels in blood samples using Affymetrix microarrays 4.1 and performed comparative analysis of samples. We performed 3 comparisons: i) control animals vs. Status epilepticus animals, ii) animals which developed first spontaneous seizure around 7 days post stimulation (EARLY), or later after 21days post stimulation (LATE), iii) animals that had high or low number of seizures as determined by seizures number (EARLY vs. LATE).
Project description:Epilepsy frequently develops as a result of brain insult, for example brain injury or stroke. Currently there are no tools allowing us to predict which trauma patients will eventually develop epilepsy. There is evidence that microRNAs levels are altered in the blood, making them attractive candidates for peripheral biomarkers of epilepsy. We analyzed miRNA levels in blood samples using Affymetrix microarrays 4.1 and performed comparative analysis of samples. We performed 3 comparisons: i) control animals vs. Status epilepticus animals, ii) animals which developed first spontaneous seizure around 7 days post stimulation (EARLY), or later after 21days post stimulation (LATE), iii) animals that had high or low number of seizures as determined by seizures number (EARLY vs. LATE).
Project description:Epilepsy frequently develops as a result of brain insult, for example brain injury or stroke. Currently there are no tools allowing us to predict which trauma patients will eventually develop epilepsy. There is evidence that microRNAs levels are altered in the blood, making them attractive candidates for peripheral biomarkers of epilepsy. We analyzed miRNA levels in blood samples using Affymetrix microarrays 4.1 and performed comparative analysis of samples. We performed 3 comparisons: i) control animals vs. Status epilepticus animals, ii) animals which developed first spontaneous seizure around 7 days post stimulation (EARLY), or later after 21days post stimulation (LATE), iii) animals that had high or low number of seizures as determined by seizures number (EARLY vs. LATE).
Project description:Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common intractable form of epilepsy in adults and status epilepticus (SE) is the most severe form of seizure that can be non-convulsive and is then difficult to diagnose. Diagnosis of both conditions is principally based on clinical examination and history, often depending on EEG and imaging. A molecular biomarker of these two conditions would be transformational in supporting both diagnoses.Cerebrospinal fluid offers an alternative source of microRNA biomarkers with the advantage of being in closer contact with the target tissue and sites of pathology. The present study indicates cerebrospinal fluid may contain microRNA biomarkers of TLE and SE and offers insights into trafficking mechanisms of biofluid microRNAs that may further enhance diagnostic value.
Project description:The diagnosis of epilepsy is complex and challenging and would benefit from the availability of molecular biomarkers, ideally measurable in a biofluid such as blood. Experimental and human epilepsy are associated with altered brain and blood levels of various microRNAs (miRNAs). Evidence is lacking, however, as to whether any of the circulating pool of miRNAs originates from the brain. To explore the link between circulating miRNAs and the pathophysiology of epilepsy, we first sequenced Ago2-bound miRNAs in plasma samples collected from mice subject to status epilepticus (SE) induced by intraamygdala microinjection of kainic acid. This identified time-dependent changes in plasma levels of miRNAs with known neuronal and microglial-cell origins. To explore whether the circulating miRNAs had originated from the brain, we generated mice expressing FLAG-Ago2 in neurons or microglia using tamoxifen-inducible Thy1 or Cx3cr1 promoters, respectively. FLAG immunoprecipitates from the plasma of these mice after seizures contained miRNAs, including let-7i-5p and miR-19b-3p. Taken together, these studies confirm that a portion of the circulating pool of miRNAs in experimental epilepsy originates from the brain, increasing support for miRNAs as mechanistic biomarkers of epilepsy.
Project description:Epilepsy frequently develops as a result of brain insult, for example brain injury or stroke. Currently there are no tools allowing us to predict which trauma patients will eventually develop epilepsy. There is evidence that microRNAs levels are altered in plasma, making them attractive candidates for peripheral biomarkers of epilepsy. We analyzed miRNA levels in plasma samples using Affymetrix microarrays 4.1 and performed comparative analysis of samples. We performed 3 comparisons: i) control animals vs. Status epilepticus animals, ii) animals which developed first spontaneous seizure around 7 days post stimulation (EARLY), or later after 21days post stimulation (LATE), iii) animals that had developed seizures at given timepoint (EPI) and animals that did not experience seizures by given timepoint (NONEPI).