Glutamate receptor antagonists and benzodiazepine inhibit the progression of granule cell dispersion in a mouse model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

摘要

PURPOSE: Unilateral intrahippocampal injection of kainic acid (KA) in adult mice induces the progressive dispersion of dentate granule cells, one of the characteristic pathologic changes of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. However, little is known about the mechanisms that trigger this dispersion. In this study, the possible involvement of glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurotransmissions in the development of granule cell dispersion (GCD) was examined in this model. METHODS: Antagonists of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (MK-801) and non-NMDA receptor (GYKI52466), and an agonist of benzodiazepine-GABA(A) receptor (midazolam) were injected before and after KA in various ways, and the morphologic changes of the hippocampus, especially GCD, were examined. RESULTS: MK-801 (5 mg/kg, i.p.) did not reduce GCD when injected 2 h before KA injection but inhibited GCD almost completely for