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Spontaneous epileptic rats show changes in sleep architecture and hypothalamic pathology

Jesper F Bastlund, Poul Jennum, Paul Mohapel, Silke Penschuck, William P Watson

30 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

PURPOSE: The goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between sleep, hypothalamic pathology, and seizures in spontaneous epileptic rats.

METHODS: Rats were implanted with radiotelemetry transmitters for measuring electrocorticogram (ECoG) and stimulation electrodes in the hippocampus. Epileptogenesis was triggered by 2 h of electical stimulation-induced self-sustained status epilepticus (SSSE). After SSSE, ECoGs were monitored over a 15-week period for the occurrence of interictal high-amplitude low-frequency (HALF) acitvity and spontaneous reoccurring seizures (SRSs).

RESULTS: Spontaneous epileptic rats showed clinical features of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), such as spontaneous seizures, interictal activity and neuronal cell loss in the dorsomedial hypothalamus, a region important for normal sleep regulation. Interestingly, epileptic rats showed disturbances in sleep architecture, with a high percentage of the seizures occurring during sleep.

CONCLUSIONS: Therefore we conclude that a close association exists between epileptiform activity and alterations in sleep architecture that may be related to hypothalamic pathology.

Original languageEnglish
JournalEpilepsia
Volume46
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)934-8
Number of pages5
ISSN0013-9580
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2005

Keywords

  • Animals
  • Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Electric Wiring
  • Electrodes, Implanted
  • Electroencephalography
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/pathology
  • Hypothalamus/pathology
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Seizures/etiology
  • Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm/physiopathology
  • Sleep Stages/physiology

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