Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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Posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) accounts for 20% of acquired epilepsies. Experimental models are important for studying epileptogenesis. We previously reported that repetitive high-frequency oscillations with spikes (rHFOSs) occur early after lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) and may be a biomarker for PTE. The objective of this study was to use multiple electrodes in rat hippocampal and neocortical regions to describe the long-term electroencephalographic and behavioral evolution of rHFOSs and epileptic seizures after traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ FPI results in early rHFOSs and later spontaneous focal seizures arising from peri-lesional neocortex, supporting its use as a model for PTE. Epilepsy severity increased over time and was related to injury severity. The association between early rHFOSs and later focal seizures suggests that rHFOSs may be a potential noninvasive biomarker of PTE.
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In an attempt to improve current understanding of risk factors that influence individual susceptibility to poor outcomes following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion, this project investigated whether modifications to paternal experiences (Advanced Age (AA) or High-Fat Diet (HFD)) affected offspring susceptibility to behavioral symptomology and changes in gene expression following pediatric concussion in a rodent model. The study demonstrated that paternal treatment prior to conception altered behavioral outcomes and molecular characterization of offspring. Offspring of AA fathers demonstrated abnormal behavioral performance when compared to offspring of control fathers. ⋯ Additionally, this study provided insight into the mechanisms that mediate non-genetic paternal inheritance. Paternal treatment and the mTBI significantly influenced expression of a majority of the genes under examination in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens, with changes being dependent upon sex and the brain region examined. These epigenetic changes may have contributed to the differences in offspring susceptibility to concussion.