| First Author | Matveeva EA | Year | 2012 |
| Journal | Neuroscience | Volume | 202 |
| Pages | 77-86 | PubMed ID | 22183055 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:184394 | Mgi Id | MGI:5320839 |
| Doi | 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.11.055 | Citation | Matveeva EA, et al. (2012) Reduction of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 expression leads to a kindling-resistant phenotype in a murine model of epilepsy. Neuroscience 202:77-86 |
| abstractText | Our previous work has correlated permanent alterations in the rat neurosecretory machinery with epileptogenesis. Such findings highlighted the need for a greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy so that novel therapeutic regimens can be designed. To this end, we examined kindling in transgenic mice with a defined reduction of a key element of the neurosecretory machinery: the v-SNARE (vesicle-bound SNAP [soluble NSF attachment protein] receptor), synaptobrevin/vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2). Initial analysis of biochemical markers, which previously displayed kindling-dependent alterations in rat hippocampal synaptosomes, showed similar trends in both wild-type and VAMP2(+/-) mice, demonstrating that kindled rat and mouse models are comparable. This report focuses on the effects that a ~50% reduction of synaptosomal VAMP2 has on the progression of electrical kindling and on glutamate release in hippocampal subregions. Our studies show that epileptogenesis is dramatically attenuated in VAMP2(+/-) mice, requiring both higher current and more stimulations to reach a fully kindled state (two successive Racine stage 5 seizures). Progression through the five identifiable Racine stages was slower and more variable in the VAMP2(+/-) animals compared with the almost linear progression seen in wild-type littermates. Consistent with the expected effects of reducing a major neuronal v-SNARE, glutamate-selective, microelectrode array (MEA) measurements in specific hippocampal subregions of VAMP2(+/-) mice showed significant reductions in potassium-evoked glutamate release. Taken together these studies demonstrate that manipulating the levels of the neurosecretory machinery not only affects neurotransmitter release but also mitigates kindling-induced epileptogenesis. |
