Hippocampal plasticity in childhood epilepsy.
Quantitative autoradiography was used to study changes in high affinity (Kd = 12 nM) binding sites for kainic acid, a marker of mossy fibers, in the hippocampus of childhood epileptics. We found a highly significant increase in the density of kainate binding sites in the CA3 region and in the fascia dentata in childhood epileptics as compared to age matched controls. We suggest that anatomical plasticity occurs in the hippocampus of human epileptics as in experimental models of epilepsy. The increase in kainate binding sites may contribute to the development of epileptic seizures.
Represa
A
A
INSERM U29, Paris, France.
Robain
O
O
Tremblay
E
E
Ben-Ari
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D001345:Autoradiography; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D014316:Tritium
D007608:Kainic Acid; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D014316:Tritium