Overexpression of miRNA-137 in the brain suppresses seizure activity and neuronal excitability: A new potential therapeutic strategy for epilepsy.

Overexpression of miRNA-137 in the brain suppresses seizure activity and neuronal excitability: A new potential therapeutic strategy for epilepsy. Neuropharmacology. 2018 Jun 09;: Authors: Wang W, Guo Y, He L, Chen C, Luo J, Ma Y, Li J, Yang Y, Yang Q, Du C, Zhang Y, Li Z, Xu X, Tian X, Wang X Abstract miRNA-137 is an extremely abundant miRNA in the central nervous system and is thought to be closely related to synaptic plasticity. Here, we report a previously unrecognized role of miRNA-137 in epilepsy. The expression of miRNA-137 was decreased both in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and in two different mouse models of epilepsy. Overexpression of miRNA-137 induced by an intrahippocampal injection of a specific agomir prolonged the latency to spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRSs) and reduced seizure severity in a mouse model of pilocarpine-induced epilepsy. Elevated levels of miRNA-137 also prolonged the latency to full kindling and reduced the seizure severity in a mouse model of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-kindled epilepsy. Suppression of miRNA-137 levels decreased the latency to the first SRS or the latency to full kindling and increased the seizure severity in both epileptic mouse models. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings showed that overexpression of miRNA-137 reduced the excitability of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA3a region in a Mg2+-free-induced brain slice model of epileptiform activity. This effect may have...
Source: Neuropharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Neuropharmacology Source Type: research