Abstract
Epileptogenesis is the process whereby a normal brain becomes epileptic. We hypothesized that the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) activates its receptor, TrkB, in the hippocampus during epileptogenesis and that BDNF-mediated activation of TrkB is required for epileptogenesis. We tested these hypotheses in Synapsin-Cre conditional BDNF-/- and TrkB -/- mice using the kindling model. Despite marked reductions of BDNF expression, only a modest impairment of epileptogenesis and increased hippocampal TrkB activation were detected in BDNF-/- mice. In contrast, reductions of electrophysiological measures and no behavioral evidence of epileptogenesis were detected in TrkB-/- mice. Importantly, TrkB-/- mice exhibited behavioral endpoints of epileptogenesis, tonic-clonic seizures. Whereas TrkB can be activated, and epileptogenesis develops in BDNF-/- mice, the plasticity of epileptogenesis is eliminated in TrkB-/- mice. Its requirement for epileptogenesis in kindling implicates TrkB and downstream signaling pathways as attractive molecular targets for drugs for preventing epilepsy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 31-42 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Neuron |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 8 2004 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience