Unilateral lesion of the subthalamic nucleus enhances cortical fos expression associated with focally evoked seizures in the rat.
Reducing subthalamic nucleus (STN) activity has been proposed as an anti-epileptic procedure. Here we show that, on the contrary, a unilateral lesion of the STN causes slight (nonsignificant) increases in the severity of limbic seizures evoked by bicuculline infusion into the piriform cortex, associated with marked Fos expression throughout the cerebral cortex. Abolishing the STN control over the basal ganglia output may therefore play a facilitatory role on cortical activation associated with limbic seizures.
Blandini
Fabio
F
Laboratory of Functional Neurochemistry, IRCCS Neurological Institute C. Mondino, Via Mondino, 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy. fabio.blandini@mondino.it
Fancellu
Roberto
R
Armentero
Marie-Therese
MT
Tassorelli
Cristina
C
Greco
Rosaria
R
Fornai
Francesco
F
Nappi
Giuseppe
G
D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000633:toxicity; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003292:Convulsants / Q000633:toxicity; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000633:toxicity; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D020531:Subthalamic Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
D003292:Convulsants; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D001640:Bicuculline