Induction of astrocytic cyclooxygenase-2 in epileptic patients with hippocampal sclerosis

Induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been described in a wide range of neurological diseases including animal models of epilepsy. The present study was undertaken to assess COX-2 expression in hippocampal biopsies from patients with therapy-refractive temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). For this purpose, hippocampal CA1 subfield was dissected from epileptic patients with (n=5) or without (n=2) hippocampal sclerosis (HS). COX-2 expression was investigated using immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative RT-PCR. COX-2 immunoreactivity in TLE patient material in the absence of HS was restricted to a few neurons of the hippocampus. In the presence of HS, on the other hand, a significant induction of astrocytic COX-2 immunoreactivity associated with a concomitant increase in the steady-state level of COX-2 mRNA was observed in the CA1 subfield. These findings suggest that induction of astrocytic COX-2 is implicated in the pathogenesis of HS in TLE and is consistent with the previous findings of increased concentrations of prostaglandins in the cerebrospinal fluid of these patients

Increased expression of "peripheral-type" benzodiazepine receptors in human temporal lobe epilepsy: implications for PET imaging of hippocampal sclerosis

Increased binding sites for "peripheral-type" benzodiazepine receptor (PTBR) ligands have been described in a wide range of neurological disorders including both human and experimental epilepsy. This study was undertaken to assess PTBR expression in relation to the presence of hippocampal sclerosis in human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). For this purpose, hippocampal CA1 subfields were dissected from surgical samples from patients with therapy-refractive TLE with (n = 5) or without (n = 2) hippocampal sclerosis and from age-matched nonepileptic postmortem controls (n = 5). PTBR expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Receptor sites were evaluated using an in vitro binding assay and the selective PTBR ligand [3H]PK11195. Epileptic patients with hippocampal sclerosis showed increases in PTBR binding sites, immunoreactivity, and mRNA expression compared to both nonsclerotic TLE patients and postmortem nonepileptic controls. Induction of PTBR expression and binding sites were directly correlated with the presence of hippocampal sclerosis and the accompanying reactive gliosis

Effects of somatosensory stimulation on dream content in gymnasts and control participants: evidence of vestibulomotor adaptation in REM sleep. Dreaming 8, 125–134. doi: 10.1023/B:DREM.0000005902. 04938.fe

Abstract Somatosensory stimulation of the leg muscles in REM sleep appears to perturb virtual orientation in dream experiences. According to our model of vestibulomotor adaptatio