Double staining protocols using the most popular immunoperoxidase techniques may raise difficulties. The two ordinary detection systems may cross-talk, when the primary antibodies are derived from phylogenetically closely related animals. A color shift of the 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) polymer may occur during the second development, resulting in poor distinction between the two kinds of deposits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTreatment with pilocarpine (PILO) induces variable degrees of loss of mossy cells (MCs) and mossy fibre (MF) sprouting in rodents, the relationships of which have not been examined in individual animals. Our aim was to test whether the loss of MCs and MF sprouting are coupled processes in PILO-treated rodents. Animals which exhibited intense PILO-induced convulsions for at least 30 min were used in this study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRodent strains used in epilepsy research have various neurological characteristics. These differences were suggested to be attributed to the diverse densities of the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) subunits. However, previous studies failed to find interstrain differences in the hippocampal receptor levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEntorhinal cortex is a highly epilepsy-prone brain region. Effects of repetitive seizures on ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) were investigated in rat entorhinal cortex slices. Seizures were induced by daily administration of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe available methods for double-labeling preembedding immunoelectron microscopy are highly limited because not only should the ultrastructure be preserved, but also the different antigens should be visualized by reaction end products that can be clearly distinguished in gray-scale images. In these procedures, one antigen is detected with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) chromogen, resulting in a homogeneous deposit, whereas the other is labeled with either a gold-tagged immunoreagent, or DAB polymer, on the surface of which metallic silver is precipitated. The detection of the second antigen is usually impeded by the first, leading to false-negative results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPilocarpine-induced epileptic state (Status epilepticus) generates an aberrant sprouting of hippocampal mossy fibers, which alter the intrahippocampal circuits. The mechanisms of the synaptic plasticity remain to be determined. In our studies in mice and rats, pilocarpine-induced seizures were done in order to gain information on the process of synaptogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSystemic administration of the potassium channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) elicits acute convulsions. Synchronized tonic-clonic activity develops during the first hour after the treatment. However, subsequent chronic spontaneous seizures do not appear which suggests changes in neuronal excitability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDithranol has been used to treat psoriasis for decades. Although its beneficial effect may involve the induction of cutaneous inflammation, and inflammation often leads to damages in nerve fibers, these alterations are not well documented. Therefore, we investigated the effects of dithranol on the immunohistochemical characteristics of the cutaneous nerve fibers in the rat skin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe entorhinal cortex (EC) provides the predominant excitatory drive to the hippocampal CA1 and subicular neurones in chronic epilepsy. Here we analysed the effects of one-sided lateral EC (LEC) and temporoammonic (alvear) path lesion on the development and properties of 4-aminopyridine-induced seizures. Electroencephalography (EEG) analysis of freely moving rats identified that the lesion increased the latency of the hippocampal seizure significantly and decreased the number of brief convulsions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to define the time- and brain-area-related distribution of c-fos expression in the brain during the first 24 h following a closed head injury in rats. In the control groups (n = 32), only a few c-fos positive nuclei were observed in the brain and the c-fos staining did not change during the next 24 h. In the closed head injury group c-fos-positive cells were rare in the brain regions during the first 30 min.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActivated T-lymphocytes can migrate through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and are able to invade the central nervous system (CNS). In the present study, we investigated whether disruption of the BBB leads to enhanced T-cell migration into the CNS. Amyloid-beta peptide 25-35 (A beta) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) were administered into the right common carotid artery of adult male Wistar rats.
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