title: Cortico-hippocampal hyperexcitability in synapsin I/II/III knockout mice: age-dependency and response to the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam.
abstract: Synapsins (SynI, SynII, SynIII) are a multigene family of synaptic vesicle (SV) phosphoproteins implicated in the regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity. Synapsin I, II, I/II and I/II/III knockout mice are epileptic and SYN1/2 genes have been identified as major epilepsy susceptibility genes in humans. We analyzed cortico-hippocampal epileptiform activity induced by 4-aminopyridine (4AP) in acute slices from presymptomatic (3-weeks-old) and symptomatic (1-year-old) Syn I/II/III triple knockout (TKO) mice and aged-matched triple wild type (TWT) controls and assessed the effect of the SV-targeted antiepileptic drug (AED) levetiracetam (LEV) in reverting the epileptic phenotype. Both fast and slow interictal (I-IC) and ictal (IC) events were observed in both genotypes. The incidence of fast I-IC events was higher in presymptomatic TKO slices, while frequency and latency of I-IC events were similar in both genotypes. The major age and genotype effects were observed in IC activity, that was much more pronounced in 3-weeks-old TKO and persisted with age, while it disappeared from 1-year-old TWT slices. LEV virtually suppressed fast I-IC and IC discharges from 3-weeks-old TWT slices, while it only increased the latency of fast I-IC and IC activity in TKO slices. Analysis of I-IC events in patch-clamped CA1 pyramidal neurons revealed that LEV increased the inhibitory/excitatory ratio of I-IC activity in both genotypes. The lower LEV potency in TKO slices of both ages was associated with a decreased expression of SV2A, a SV protein acting as LEV receptor, in cortex and hippocampus. The results demonstrate that deletion of Syn genes is associated with a higher propensity to 4AP-induced epileptic paroxysms that precedes the onset of epilepsy and consolidates with age. LEV ameliorates such hyper excitability by enhancing the inhibition/excitation ratio, although the effect is hindered in TKO slices which exhibit a concomitant decrease in the levels of the LEV receptor SV2A.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, The Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boido
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farisello
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cesca
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrea
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valtorta
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benfenati
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baldelli
mesh_terms: D015761:4-Aminopyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000375:Aging; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004566:Electrodes; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010889:Piracetam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D016704:Synapsins / Q000172:deficiency*; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; C489614:Sv2a protein, mouse; C489615:Sv2b protein, mouse; D016704:Synapsins; D016708:Synaptophysin; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D015761:4-Aminopyridine; D010889:Piracetam