Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy, a neurological disorder with increased tendency for repeated, unprovoked seizures. A biomarker for epileptic tissue is the presence of high frequency activity (HFA), which is defined as neuronal oscillations above 100Hz[1]. Although the mechanisms behind HFA are unclear, experimental evidence using Levetiracetam, an anti-epileptic drug targeting synaptic vesicle protein 2, suggests synaptic vesicle dynamics are involved[2]. The synaptic vesicle cycle, and endocytosis in particular, ensures the maintenance of the readily releasable pool of synaptic vesicles at the pre-synaptic terminal. Dynamin is one of the major proteins involved in the scission of the budding vesicles in the endocytotic process. Dynasore and Dyngo-4a are selective dynamin inhibitors which have been shown to stop endocytosis[3,4]. Through the use of Dynasore and Dyngo-4a, the role of synaptic vesicle dynamics on HFA will be investigated.400μm horizontal brain slices were prepared from VGAT-Venus A rats, anaesthetised with 0.24mg/kg medotomidine and 58.2mg/kg ketamine via I.P. injection, and transcardially perfused with sucrose ACSF. Extracellular recordings were made from stratum pyramidale in hippocampal region CA3b. HFA was evoked by perfusion of slices with high potassium (8-9mM) ACSF. After 20 minutes of HFA activity, Dynasore (80μM) or Dyngo-4a (30μM) were applied to the slices via bath application, and recording was continued for 20 minutes. Shapiro-Wilks was used to for normality; significance was determined using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum test (α=0.025). Data is given as the median ± IQR. HFA were generated through application of high potassium (frequency= 242±31 Hz, power= 350±1900 μV2; n=26). The application of Dynasore decreased the frequency (243±95 Hz to 220±60 Hz, p=0.007; n=12) and the summated power (710±2500 to 240±2000 μV2, p=0.024; n=12) of HFA. Application of Dyngo-4a did not change the frequency (p=0.62; n=8) or summated power (p=0.73; n=8).These results show that the inhibition of dynamin using Dynasore modulates HFA, suggesting that the peak frequency and power of HFA is dependent on synaptic vesicle endocytosis. Results from Dyngo-4a suggest that further investigation is required on the possible non-specific interactions the drugs may have on other synaptic proteins.
Physiology 2014 (London, UK) (2014) Proc Physiol Soc 31, PCA061
Poster Communications: Investigating the roles of synaptic vesicle dynamics in epileptic high frequency activity
E. M. Fox1, E. J. Rawlins1, G. Morris1, A. D. Powell1
1. School of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
View other abstracts by:
Where applicable, experiments conform with Society ethical requirements.