Cellular and Molecular Determinants Underlying Spike-Wave Discharge Initiation and Maintenance in the Absence Epileptic WAG/Rij Rat

Item does not contain fulltextRU Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, 17 maart 2004Promotor : Roubos, E.W. Co-promotores : Scheenen, W.J.J.M., Luijtelaar, E.L.J.M. va

NMDA-NR1 and AMPA-GluR4 receptor subunit immunoreactivities in the absence epileptic WAG/Rij rat

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Synaptology of the rostral reticular thalamic nucleus of absence epileptic WAG/Rij rats

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Neuronal parvalbumin and absence epilepsy in WAG/Rij rats

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The development of postthrombotic syndrome in relationship to venous reflux and calf muscle pump dysfunction at 2 years after the onset of deep venous thrombosis.

Contains fulltext : 212688.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVE: Postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) develops in 40% to 60% of patients with deep venous thrombosis. Factors that are important in the development of PTS include venous reflux, deep vein obstruction, and calf muscle pump dysfunction (CMD). METHODS: Reflux and CMD in relationship to the severity of PTS were evaluated in a 2-year follow-up study of patients with acute deep venous thrombosis. Duplex scanning was used to measure reflux. The supine venous pump function test (SVPT) measures CMD with strain-gauge plethysmography. The base-line examination was performed within 1 to 5 days after diagnosis. The next examinations were scheduled at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS: The study included 86 legs, and the 2-year follow-up period was completed for 70 legs. Significantly more reflux was found in previously thrombosed vein segments, with an odds ratio of 1.8 after 3 months, of 2.1 after 6 months, of 2.5 after 12 months, and of 3.2 after 24 months. Multiple regression results showed that the most important risk factor for early clinical signs of PTS was superficial reflux in months 3, 6, and 12 (P < or =.02). Deep reflux did not have a synergistic relationship with superficial reflux in correlation with the clinical signs of PTS. The SVPT was not able to predict the development of PTS. CONCLUSION: More reflux develops in previously thrombosed vein segments. As early as after the third month, patients with superficial reflux have an increased risk of development of the first clinical signs of PTS. Within 2 years, the SVPT shows no relationship with clinical signs of PTS

Synaptology of the rostral reticular thalamic nucleus of absence epileptic wag/rij rats

The adult WAG/Rij rat is a well-established animal model for human absence epilepsy characterized by the presence of spike-wave discharges (SWD) in the EEG concomitant with behavioural symptoms such as vibrissae twitching. The rostral part of the reticular thalamic nucleus (rRTN) is generally assumed to contain the pacemaker for the occurrence of SWD. We investigated if SWD maintenance is related to the synaptic organization of the rRTN, by studying the ultrastructure of the rRTN of absence epileptic WAG/Rij rats in comparison with non-epileptic, age-matched ACI control rats. In WAG/Rij rats, we show D-, L- and F-type terminals on somata, dendrites, dendritic spines and axons, in single as well as in convergent and divergent configurations. Semi-quantitative observations indicate that D-type synapses, especially axo-dendritic ones, dominate. L- and F-type terminals are common, but less frequent than D-type terminals. Occasionally, F-type terminals were observed to innervate the axon hillock. As to multiple inputs, all three terminal types are involved in multiple synaptic configurations, with somata, dendrites and axons as postsynaptic structures. Convergent synaptic configurations outnumber divergent ones. In the non-epileptic ACI rat, the synaptology of the rRTN is similar to that of the WAG/Rij rat. This indicates that the role of the rRTN in WAG/Rij rats in the maintenance absence epilepsy does not depend on its synaptic organization