Epilepsy of the temporal lobe: analysis through the pilocarpina model

Abstract

The epilepsy model induced by pilocarpine (pilo) in rats is characterized by an acute phase when the animals present status epilepticus (18 h). This period is followed by a silent phase (15 days), characterized by eeg and behavior normalization and by a chronic phase of spontaneous and recurrent seizures. This model has been used to study the temporal lobe epilepsy. Due to the differences found in childhood and adult life during the development of the epileptic phenomena the objective of the present project is to study the effect of pilo during the development. Of animals submitted to pilo model. The role of the immediated early genes like C-Fos as well as the inhibition of the trophic factor NGF expression will be done trying to block the seizures appearence in the chronic phase. A biochemical approach will also be employed and the phophorylation of several proteins retaled to the process of mossy fiber sprouting will be studied additionally, using hippocampal slices the electrical activity of normal and epileptic neurons will be studied. As this model is similar to human epilepsy the results will be important to the knowledge in this field. (AU)