RADON HORMESIS IN EPILEPTIC PATHOGENESIS AND PREDICTORS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS.

Numerous experimental and clinical studies have shown that oxidative stress (OS) plays an important role in the development of epilepsy. The epileptic seizures themselves are caused by OS and, under conditions of a hypermetabolic state, cause an intensive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain. The reason for this is called a change in the energy balance in the brain.

Gut neurotoxin p-cresol induces differential expression of GLUN2B and GLUN2A subunits of the NMDA receptor in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens in healthy and audiogenic seizure-prone rats.

Mislocalization and abnormal expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor (NMDAR) subunits is observed in several brain disorders and pathological conditions. Recently, we have shown that intraperitoneal injection of the gut neurotoxin p-cresol induces autism-like behavior and accelerates seizure reactions in healthy and epilepsy-prone rats, respectively. In this study, we evaluated the expression of GLUN2B and GLUN2A NMDAR subunits, and assessed the activity of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) and Rac1 in the hippocampi and nucleus accumbens of healthy and epilepsy-prone rats following p-cresol administration.

[THE INFLUENCE OF LOCUS COERULEUS ON DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES OF THE THALAMO-CORTICAL SYSTEMS].

As revealed from our experiments, in facilitation of passage of the thalamo-cortical visual signals a key role is attributed to variability of activity of visual neurons in reticular nucleus of the thalamus. It was demonstrated that a facilitatory action of locus coeruleus gets augmented following functional exclusion of the thalamic reticular nucleus. Nevertheless, stimulation of locus coeruleus stipulated facilitation of neuronal activity in the anterior part of thalamic reticular nucleus.

Concentration- and time-dependent effects of myo-inositol on evoked epileptic afterdischarge in the hippocampus in vivo.

Epilepsy is one of the most widespread neurological diseases characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures. There is no cure for epilepsy, and available pharmacological treatments with anti-seizure drugs are only symptomatic. Moreover, about third of epilepsy patients are resistant to the anti-seizure drugs.

INTERACTION BETWEEN THE THALAMIC NUCLEUS AND PREOPTIC AREA NEURONS.

The thalamic reticular nucleus which is known to delineate the dorsal thalamus stipulates development of inhibitory processes in the thalamo-cortical neurons that is necessary for generating slow (8-12 Hz), high-amplitude electric activity in this system. It was demonstrated that majority of preoptic area neurons get activated during slow-wave sleep. Activation of neurons in the anterior hypothalamus and preoptic area during slow-wave sleep and synchronization of the brain electric activity was demonstrated.