title: Hippocampal low-frequency stimulation increased SV2A expression and inhibited the seizure degree in pharmacoresistant amygdala-kindling epileptic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of hippocampal low-frequency stimulation (Hip-LFS) on the expression of synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) and on the seizure degree in pharmacoresistant epileptic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen pharmacoresistant epileptic rats were selected from 75 amygdala-kindling rat models of epilepsy by testing their seizure response to phenytoin (PHT) and to phenobarbital (PB). Six pharmacoresistant epileptic rats (PRE group, 6 rats) were used to determine SV2A expression for comparison with the pharmacosensitive epileptic rats (PSE group, 6 rats). The other 12 pharmacoresistant epileptic rats were assigned to a pharmacoresistant control group (PRC group, 6 rats) or to a pharmacoresistant stimulation group (PRS group, 6 rats) and were subjected to the hippocampal stimulation experiment. A stimulation electrode was implanted into the hippocampus for both the PRC group and the PRS group. Hip-LFS was administered twice per day for two weeks. Following 2 weeks of stimulation, seizure duration and frequency were observed, and SV2A mRNA expression and protein content in the hippocampus were measured by real-time PCR and by western blot analysis, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SV2A mRNA and protein decreased markedly in the PRE group compared with the PSE group. After performing Hip-LFS for two weeks, remarkable increases in SV2A mRNA and protein were observed in the PRS group compared with the PRC group (P<0.05). Simultaneously, the seizure degree of these rats was inhibited.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hip-LFS may have prevented seizures in the pharmacoresistant epileptic rats. The antiepileptic effects of Hip-LFS may be partly achieved by increasing SV2A expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College, Guiyang, Guizhou, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Likun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College, Guiyang, Guizhou, China. Electronic address: wuguofeng3013@sina.com.
authors.forename: Guofeng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C489618:Sv2a protein, rat
keywords: Amygdala; Low-frequency stimulation; Pharmacoresistant epilepsy; Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A)