| First Author | Pizzanelli C | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | Epilepsia | Volume | 50 Suppl 1 |
| Pages | 59-64 | PubMed ID | 19125850 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:166113 | Mgi Id | MGI:4839718 |
| Doi | 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01972.x | Citation | Pizzanelli C, et al. (2009) Lack of alpha 1b-adrenergic receptor protects against epileptic seizures. Epilepsia 50 Suppl 1:59-64 |
| abstractText | PURPOSE: The role of alpha 1b-adrenergic receptor (alpha 1b-AR) in relation with neuronal degeneration, drug addiction, and seizure susceptibility has recently emerged. In particular, mice that overexpress alpha 1b-AR undergo spontaneous epileptic seizures and progressive neuronal loss in a variety of brain areas. Therefore, one should expect that the blockade of alpha 1b-AR leads to anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects. However, the lack of alpha 1b-AR antagonists does not allow testing of this hypothesis. METHODS: The development of alpha 1b-AR knockout (KO) mice led us to measure seizure susceptibility and neurodegeneration following systemic excitotoxins in these mice. RESULTS: We found that alpha 1b-AR KO mice are markedly resistant to kainate- and pilocarpine-induced seizures. Moreover, when marked seizure duration and severity are obtained by doubling the dose of chemoconvulsants in alpha 1b-AR KO, neuronal degeneration never occurs. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that alpha 1b-AR per se plays a fundamental role in the mechanisms responsible for seizure onset, severity, and duration, whereas the brain damage observed in alpha 1b-AR-overexpressing mice is likely to be a secondary phenomenon. In fact, the absence of alpha 1b-AR confers resistance to neurotoxicity induced by seizures/chemoconvulsants. These data, although confirming a pivotal role of alpha 1b-AR in modulating seizure threshold and neuronal death, offer a novel target, which may be used to develop novel anticonvulsants and neuroprotective agents. |
