title: Single-unit analysis of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons in freely behaving rats with genetic absence epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) is assumed to be involved in the control of several kinds of epileptic seizures, an assumption based mostly on neuropharmacologic evidence. However, only very few neurophysiological recordings from the basal ganglia support neuropharmacologic data. We investigated the electrophysiologic activity of SNpr neurons in rats with genetic absence epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electrocorticography (ECoG) and multi-unit recordings using permanently implanted tetrodes were obtained in freely behaving rats. After spike sorting, auto- and cross-correlation analysis was used to detect oscillatory neuronal activities and synchronizations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During interictal periods, neither oscillation nor synchronization could be observed in the firing patterns of SNpr neurons. At the beginning of the absence seizure, the firing rate increased significantly. The SNpr neurons started firing in bursts of action potentials. Bursts were highly correlated to the spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) in the ECoG, mainly after the spike component of the cortical spike-and-wave complex. Moreover, pairs of SNpr neurons tended to fire synchronously. Before the end of the seizure, the firing rate decreased progressively, and the burst-firing pattern ended at or before the end of the SWDs. Once the SWDs had stopped, the SNpr neurons resumed their basal firing pattern as before the seizure onset.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide electrophysiologic evidence that firing patterns and synchronization of SNpr neurons are in phase with the occurrence of SWDs. The findings support the concept that nigral control mechanisms are involved in modulating the propagation of an ongoing generalized seizure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Neurozentrum, Institute of Biology III, Albert-Ludwigs Universitat Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. colin.deransart@ujfgrenoble.fr
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deransart
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hellwig
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heupel-Reuter
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Léger
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heck
authors.forename: Carl Hermann
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lücking
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003344:Cortical Synchronization; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000503:physiopathology*