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Microarray analysis correlated to structural and functional MRI in WAG/Rij rats

This paper was not found in any repository; the policy of its publisher is unknown or unclear.
This paper was not found in any repository; the policy of its publisher is unknown or unclear.

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Abstract

Absence seizures are considered the most pure form of generalized epilepsy characterized in the EEG by widespread bilaterally synchronous spike-wave discharges (SWDs) caused by thalamo-cortical oscillations. Latest Cortical Focus theory suggests a consistent cortical “focus” within the peri-oral region of the somatosensory cortex. METHODS: MRI data were correlated with gene-array analysis for cell signaling pathways involved in spindles generation and propagation in different cerebral areas. Four-months-old WAG/Rij rats were used as control (no SWDs). Nine-months-old rats (daily SWDs) were referred as experimental group. In order to exacerbate SWDs episodes, rats were treated with Vigabatrin. RESULTS: MRI data revealed a significant T2-values decrement in the lateral thalamus (LT), somatosensory (SS) and motor cortices (Mo) in 9-months-old WAG/Rij rats versus controls. Interesting enough, in the Mo cortex and in the LT, Vigabatrin treatment results in a moderate return to 4-months levels in experimental animals. DWI analysis revealed a significant effect in the Mo cortex due to treatment with Vigabatrin and in the LT, SS, Mo and Hippocampus related to time. Perfusion-MRI changes are still in progress. Microarray analysis suggests that genes belong to inflammatory and proliferative pathways can be modulated by Vigabatrin treatment, characterized by a partial return to 4-months levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary data seems to indicate that, in parallel to structural and molecular modification observable in the thalamo-cortical circuitry, some focal cortical events can be detected. However, the study of the biological meaning of these variations is currently in progress.