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Surprising Pathways of Seizure Generalization

Presenters Name: 
Sai Samayamanthula
Co Presenters Name: 
Primary Research Mentor: 
Jaideep Kapur
Secondary Research Mentor: 
Session: 
3
Location: 
Newcomb Hall Ballroom
Grant Program Recipient: 
Not a Recipient
Abstract: 

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by the occurrence of sudden seizures, and is one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide, affecting approximately forty to fifty million people. Seizures are characterized by the continual, excessive high-frequency discharge of impulses by a network of neurons, which can activate other neuronal circuits, causing seizures to spread. This study investigated the neuronal circuits activated during seizure spread from the hippocampus, a common site of origin, to the motor cortex. Seizures were induced in TRAP mice through a kindling model, by repeated electrical stimulation of the hippocampus. Neurons transiently activated during kindled seizures at each Racine stage of convulsive behavior were labeled with tdTomato and then imaged following brain slice clearing. Comparing neuronal activity between the different stages suggests that seizures utilize memory consolidation and retrieval pathways to spread from the hippocampus to the motor cortex, instead of the previously proposed thalamocortical circuit.