Experimental Epileptogenesis in a Cell Culture Model of Primary Neurons from Rat Brain: A Temporal Multi-Scale Study.

Understanding seizure development requires an integrated knowledge of different scales of organization of epileptic networks. We developed a model of "epilepsy-in-a-dish" based on dissociated primary neuronal cells from neonatal rat hippocampus. We demonstrate how a single application of glutamate stimulated neurons to generate spontaneous synchronous spiking activity with further progression into spontaneous seizure-like events after a distinct latency period.

Dynamic Regulation of the Adenosine Kinase Gene during Early Postnatal Brain Development and Maturation.

The ubiquitous metabolic intermediary and nucleoside adenosine is a "master regulator" in all living systems. Under baseline conditions adenosine kinase (ADK) is the primary enzyme for the metabolic clearance of adenosine. By regulating the availability of adenosine, ADK is a critical upstream regulator of complex homeostatic and metabolic networks.