A Possible Role Of The Thalamus In Some Cases Of Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy [9]

[No abstract available]48510361037Betting, L.E., Mory, S.B., Li, L.M., Lopes-Cendes, I., Guerreiro, M.M., Guerreiro, C.A., Cendes, F., Voxel-based morphometry in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies (2006) Neuroimage, 32, pp. 498-502Betting, L.E., Mory, S.B., Lopes-Cendes, I., Li, L.M., Guerreiro, M.M., Guerreiro, C.A., Cendes, F., MRI volumetry shows increased anterior thalamic volumes in patients with absence seizures (2006) Epilepsy Behav, 8, pp. 575-580Bonilha, L., Rorden, C., Castellano, G., Cendes, F., Li, L.M., Voxel-based morphometry of the thalamus in patients with refractory medial temporal lobe epilepsy (2005) Neuroimage, 25, pp. 1016-1021Boyko, W.J., Galabru, C.K., McGeer, E.G., McGeer, P.L., Thalamic injections of kainic acid produce myocardial necrosis (1979) Life Sci, 25, pp. 87-98Norden, A.D., Blumenfeld, H., The role of subcortical structures in human epilepsy (2002) Epilepsy Behav, 3, pp. 219-231Scorza, F.A., Sanabria, E.R.G., Calderazzo, L., Cavalheiro, E.A., Glucose utilization during interictal intervals in an epilepsy model induced by pilocarpine: A qualitative study (1998) Epilepsia, 39, pp. 1041-1045Scorza, F.A., Arida, R.M., Priel, M., Calderazzo, L., Cavalheiro, E.A., The contribution of the lateral posterior and anteroventral thalamic nuclei on spontaneous recurrent seizures in the pilocarpine model of epilepsy (2002) Arq Neuropsiquiatr, 60, pp. 572-575Tomson, T., Walczak, T., Sillanpaa, M., Sander, J.W., Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: A review of incidence and risk factors (2005) Epilepsia, 46, pp. 54-6

Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor is higher after combat training (Randori) than incremental ramp test in elite judo athletes

Elite judo demands high levels of physical and psychological skills. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be of particular interest in sports medicine for its ability to promote neuroplasticity. We investigated the plasma BDNF before and after a judo training session (Randori) and the maximal incremental ramp test (MIRT) in athletes from the Brazilian national judo team and compared the results between both exercise stimuli and sexes. Fifty-six elite judo athletes were recruited who performed each task on a separated day. Anthropometric, physiological, athletic parameters, and plasma BDNF levels were measured before and after the tasks (Randori and MIRT). The groups presented similar anthropometric and physiological characteristics at baseline for the two tasks. All athletes reached maximal performance for the tasks. Plasma levels of BDNF increased significantly after Randori and MIRT for all subjects, both men and women. When comparing both exercise stimuli, a greater increase in BDNF was observed after Randori. There was no significant difference in the delta BDNF between sexes. Our findings indicate that training specificity of sport gestures influenced the increase of blood BDNF levels

Epilepsy-induced electrocardiographic alterations following cardiac ischemia and reperfusion in rats

The present study evaluated electrocardiographic alterations in rats with epilepsy submitted to an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model induced by cardiac ischemia and reperfusion. Rats were randomly divided into two groups: control (n=12) and epilepsy (n=14). It was found that rats with epilepsy presented a significant reduction in atrioventricular block incidence following the ischemia and reperfusion procedure. In addition, significant alterations were observed in electrocardiogram intervals during the stabilization, ischemia, and reperfusion periods of rats with epilepsy compared to control rats. It was noted that rats with epilepsy presented a significant increase in the QRS interval during the stabilization period in relation to control rats (P<0.01). During the ischemia period, there was an increase in the QRS interval (P<0.05) and a reduction in the P wave and QT intervals (P<0.05 for both) in rats with epilepsy compared to control rats. During the reperfusion period, a significant reduction in the QT interval (P<0.01) was verified in the epilepsy group in relation to the control group. Our results indicate that rats submitted to an epilepsy model induced by pilocarpine presented electrical conductivity alterations of cardiac tissue, mainly during an AMI episode