Cannabidiol effect in pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures depends on PI3K.

Background: The phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) has previously shown to have anticonvulsant effects in preclinical and clinical studies. Recently, CBD has been approved to treat certain types of drug-resistant epileptic syndromes. However, the underlying mechanism of action remains unclear.

A Custom Microcontrolled and Wireless-Operated Chamber for Auditory Fear Conditioning.

Animal behavioral paradigms, such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning, are an important tool to study the neural basis of cognition and behavior. These paradigms involve manipulating sensory stimuli in a way that learning processes are induced under controlled experimental conditions. However, the majority of the commercially available equipment did not offer flexibility to manipulate stimuli.

Seizure Susceptibility Corrupts Inferior Colliculus Acoustic Integration.

Evidence suggests that the pathophysiology associated with epileptic susceptibility may disturb the functional connectivity of neural circuits and compromise the brain functions, even when seizures are absent. Although memory impairment is a common comorbidity found in patients with epilepsy, it is still unclear whether more caudal structures may play a role in cognitive deficits, particularly in those cases where there is no evidence of hippocampal sclerosis. This work used a genetically selected rat strain for seizure susceptibility (Wistar audiogenic rat, WAR) and distinct behavioral (motor and memory-related tasks) and electrophysiological (inferior colliculus, IC) approaches to access acoustic primary integrative network properties.

Auditory processing assessment suggests that Wistar audiogenic rat neural networks are prone to entrainment.

Epilepsy is a neurological disease related to the occurrence of pathological oscillatory activity, but the basic physiological mechanisms of seizure remain to be understood. Our working hypothesis is that specific sensory processing circuits may present abnormally enhanced predisposition for coordinated firing in the dysfunctional brain. Such facilitated entrainment could share a similar mechanistic process as those expediting the propagation of epileptiform activity throughout the brain.

Wistar audiogenic rats display abnormal behavioral traits associated with artificial selection for seizure susceptibility.

Accumulating evidence from different animal models has contributed to the understanding of the bidirectional comorbidity associations between the epileptic condition and behavioral abnormalities. A strain of animals inbred to enhance seizure predisposition to high-intensity sound stimulation, the Wistar audiogenic rat (WAR), underwent several behavioral tests: forced swim test (FST), open-field test (OFT), sucrose preference test (SPT), elevated plus maze (EPM), social preference (SP), marble burying test (MBT), inhibitory avoidance (IAT), and two-way active avoidance (TWAA). The choice of tests aimed to investigate the correlation between underlying circuits believed to be participating in both WAR's innate susceptibility to sound-triggered seizures and the neurobiological substrates associated with test performance.