Early morphological and functional changes in the GABAergic system of hippocampus in the rat lithium-pilocarpine model of epilepsy

• Published in: Doklady. Biological sciences Vol. 472; no. 1; pp. 4 - 7
• Main Authors: Karyakin, V. B., Vasil’ev, D. S., Zhuravin, I. A., Zaitsev, A. V., Magazanik, L. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - metabolism; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - pathology; Disease Models, Animal; Epilepsy - chemically induced; Epilepsy - metabolism; Epilepsy - pathology; Evolutionary Biology; GABA Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins - metabolism; Glutamate Decarboxylase - metabolism; Life Sciences; Lithium - adverse effects; Lithium - pharmacology; Male; Physiology; Pilocarpine - adverse effects; Pilocarpine - pharmacology; Plant Sciences; Rats; Rats, Wistar
• ISSN: 0012-4966; 1608-3105
• DOI: 10.1134/S0012496617010045

We studied early alterations in the GABAergic system of the rat hippocampus in the lithium–pilocarpine model of epilepsy. Twenty-four hours after the pilocarpine treatment, a decrease in the number of calretinin-positive interneurons was observed in the CA1 field of the hippocampus, whereas the number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons remained unchanged. The decreased levels of the GABA-synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) and the membrane GABA transporter GAT1 were revealed using Western blot analysis. These data indicate an altered excitation/inhibition balance in the hippocampus with excitation dominance.