Epilepsy-induced changes in signaling systems of human and rat postsynaptic densities.
OBJECTIVE
To study seizure-induced changes in signaling proteins present in postsynaptic densities (PSDs) isolated from human epileptic neocortex and from rat cortex in which seizures were induced by injection of kainic acid.


METHODS
We performed Western blot analysis of signaling proteins in PSDs isolated from cortical tissue.


RESULTS
Seizures induce a strong upregulation of TrkB, the receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), whereas components of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor complex are downregulated in both human and rat PSDs.


CONCLUSIONS
These data show that long-term changes in PSD composition occur as a consequence of epileptic seizure activity.
Wyneken
Ursula
U
Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Universidad de los , Santiago, Chile. uwyneken@uandes.cl
Marengo
Juan-Jose
JJ
Villanueva
Sergio
S
Soto
Dagoberto
D
Sandoval
Rodrigo
R
Gundelfinger
Eckart D
ED
Orrego
Fernando
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007608:Kainic Acid; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000378:metabolism*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D020813:Receptor, trkB; D007608:Kainic Acid