Favorable modulation in neurotransmitters: Effects of chronic anterior thalamic nuclei stimulation observed in epileptic monkeys.

This study investigated the changes in the amino acid levels during chronic, single-sided ATN-stimulation in the hippocampi of rhesus monkeys with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy induced by kainic acid (KA). The concentrations of glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid, aspartate and taurine in the dialysates from bilateral hippocampi were determined at multiple time points using high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that after KA administration, the aspartate, γ-aminobutyric acid and taurine levels increased significantly in the sham-stimulation group, although the γ-aminobutyric acid and taurine levels gradually returned to the basal levels in the chronic stage. The glutamate level showed an initial decrease in the acute stage and a subsequent increase in the chronic stage. Chronic ATN-stimulation reversed the increases in the glutamate and aspartate levels, and maintained the initial increases in the γ-aminobutyric acid and taurine levels till the end of the experiment. These amino acid levels, however, were not affected by either contralateral KA injection or contralateral ATN-stimulation, suggesting that the observed effects of ATN-stimulation are restricted to the ipsilateral hemisphere. Our data suggest that chronic ATN-stimulation may induce favorable modulations in the amino acid levels in the hippocampi of epileptic monkeys, which may be an important mechanism underlying the effects of ATN-stimulation in epilepsy treatment.
PMID: 25596526 [PubM...

Source: Experimental Neurology - January 14, 2015 Category: Neurology Authors: Shi L, Yang AC, Li JJ, Meng DW, Jiang B, Zhang JG Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research