Publications by authors named "P A Forcelli"
Objective: Area tempestas, a functionally defined region in the anterior piriform cortex, was identified as a crucial ictogenic trigger zone in the rat brain in the 1980s. However, whether the primate piriform cortex can trigger seizures remains unknown. Here, in a nonhuman primate model, we aimed to localize a similar trigger zone in the piriform cortex and, subsequently, evaluated the ability of focal inhibition of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) to suppress the evoked seizures.
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- Unconditioned defense responses to looming threats include freezing and fleeing behaviors observed in rodents, with this study focusing on freezing without an escape route.
- A modified looming threat task revealed that both male and female rats exhibited specific freezing responses before, during, and after the threat, indicating a prolonged reaction to the stimulus.
- The research also found that the use of certain GABA-A receptor modulators affected freezing behavior differently based on the sex of the rats, highlighting the need for further exploration of treatments for anxiety that persist beyond immediate threat exposure.
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- Exposure to common anti-seizure medications (ASMs) during early brain development can lead to neurodevelopmental issues, including cell death and behavioral changes, as shown in both animal studies and clinical research.
- In a study involving postnatal rats, standard ASMs like valproate were found to significantly increase cell death in various brain regions, while the newer drugs brivaracetam (BRV) and perampanel (PER) showed no such effect.
- The findings indicate that BRV and PER might have a better safety profile concerning acute neurotoxicity, suggesting they could be safer alternatives for treating seizures in young patients.
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- The study investigates the role of the dorsal striatum in controlling seizures, addressing a gap in understanding how this brain area contributes to seizure activity, despite previous knowledge of the basal ganglia's anti-seizure effects.
- Using optogenetic techniques, the research examines activation and inactivation of striatal neurons in rat models of different types of epilepsy, demonstrating that activating the dorsal striatum significantly suppresses seizures while silencing it increases seizure severity in some models.
- The findings highlight the complex and essential role of the dorsal striatum in seizure modulation, showcasing both continuous and responsive light delivery methods as effective means of influencing seizure characteristics in various experimental scenarios.
Current therapies for the epilepsies only treat the symptoms, but do not prevent epileptogenesis (the process in which epilepsy develops). Many cellular responses during epileptogenesis are also common hallmarks of , which halts proliferation of damaged cells. Clearing senescent cells (SCs) restores function in several age-associated and neurodegenerative disease models.
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