Journal article
Lacosamide decreases neonatal seizures without increasing apoptosis
Epilepsia (Copenhagen), Vol.63(12), pp.3051-3065
09/28/2022
DOI: 10.1111/epi.17423
PMCID: PMC9742288
PMID: 36168798
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Many seizing neonates fail to respond to first-line anticonvulsant medications. Phenobarbital, an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, has low efficacy in treating neonatal seizures and causes neuronal apoptosis. Yet, it is one of the most used anticonvulsants in this age group. In neonatal mice, phenobarbital's poor effectiveness is due in part to high intraneuronal chloride concentration, which causes GABA to exert depolarizing actions. Therefore, another approach to treat neonatal seizures could be to use anticonvulsants that do not rely on GABAergic modulation. We evaluated if lacosamide decreases seizures in neonatal mice and if it increases apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. METHODS In vitro, we measured the effect of different lacosamide concentrations on seizure-like activity induced by the pro-convulsant drug 4-aminopyridine in neocortical brain slices (layer IV/V) from neonatal (postnatal day P8-11) and adult (1-1.6-months-old) C57BL/6J mice. In vivo, we recorded the effect of different lacosamide concentrations on neonatal behavioral seizures induced by kainic acid. We studied neocortical apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, measuring TUNEL signal and cleaved-caspase 3. RESULTS Lacosamide reduced epileptiform activity in neocortical brain slices of neonates and adults in a concentration-dependent manner. In vivo, lacosamide reduced the duration and number of behavioral seizures. Lacosamide did not increase total or neuronal apoptosis in the neocortex in vitro or in vivo. SIGNIFICANCE Lacosamide reduces neocortical seizure-like activity in neonatal mice in vitro and in vivo without an acute increase in apoptosis. Our results support the use of lacosamide to treat neonatal seizures, with the advantage of not increasing apoptosis acutely.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Lacosamide decreases neonatal seizures without increasing apoptosis
- Creators
- Rachel L Langton - University of IowaShaunik Sharma - University of IowaGrant C Tiarks - University of IowaAlexander G Bassuk - University of IowaJoseph Glykys - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Epilepsia (Copenhagen), Vol.63(12), pp.3051-3065
- DOI
- 10.1111/epi.17423
- PMID
- 36168798
- PMCID
- PMC9742288
- NLM abbreviation
- Epilepsia
- eISSN
- 1528-1167
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100000065, name: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, award: R01NS115800, R01NS098590
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/28/2022
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Neurology (Pediatrics)
- Record Identifier
- 9984302591302771
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