Effective and Anatomical Connectivity in a Rat Model ofSpontaneous Limbic Seizure

摘要

Temporal lobe epilepsy is one of the most common forms of partial-onset epilepsy.Animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy offer the opportunity for controlledin vivo studies of ictogenesis. Animal models in combination with advanced in vivomulti-scale microarray electrodes acquisition of ongoing continued neurophys-iological activity, allows for characterization of limbic system interactions thatprecede seizure onset. Advanced high-field imaging tools and methods of dataanalysis allow for the simultaneous evaluation in vivo of white matter associationtracts both within hippocampal circuitry and associate limbic system tracts. Thehippocampus contains distinct layers; densely packed neuron cell body layers suchas the stratum pyramidale are surrounded by layers of neuropil, such as stratumradiatum, where relatively few neurons cell bodies are interspersed with glia anda complex interdigitation of dendrites and axonal projections. The hippocampusalso contains several well-described neuronal circuits like the trisynaptic intrahip-pocampal pathway (Figure 4.1), which is linked to seizure onset, and this providesan interesting structure for fundamental investigations into ictogenesis in temporallobe epilepsy. The trisynaptic pathway contains several coherent neuronal pathwayssuch as Schaffer collaterals, perforant and mossy fiber, that are significantly alteredin temporal lobe epilepsy.