abstract: Seizure disorders are a widespread health concern (England, Liverman, Schultz, & Strawbridge, 2012). Past research shows that a good quality marital relationship can have numerous health benefits (Homish & Leonard, 2008); however, there is little evidence to show that individuals suffering from seizures are receiving any of these marital benefits. Instead, most research suggests that individuals with a seizure disorder are significantly less likely to marry, have more marital conflict, and report the seizures as a main reason for divorce (Chen, et al., 2013). The current study included 67 individuals who self-reported that they suffered from a seizure disorder. These individuals took part in an online survey that included questions about their experience with seizures, their strategies for managing emotions, and their relationship (marital) status. It was hypothesized that individuals who were married would report fewer emotion regulation difficulties and be less impacted by their seizures than those who were unmarried. The results of this study showed that: 1) married and unmarried individuals did not differ in reported emotion regulation difficulties; 2) contrary to predictions, married individuals were more impacted by their seizures than unmarried individuals; 3) greater emotion regulation difficulties (specifically difficulty accepting emotions and difficulty carrying out goal-directed behavior when upset) were associated with a greater perceived impact of seizures on one’s life; and 4) marriage moderated the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and impact of seizures, such that difficulty accepting emotions predicted a greater impact of seizures on one’s life for married but not unmarried individuals. This was not the case for another facet of emotion regulation measured, namely difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior when upset. An important conclusion from this study is that a failure to accept emotions may be more likely to contribute to seizure impact among married than unmarried individuals. Promoting acceptance of emotions, perhaps in the context of one’s marital relationship as well as in general, may be beneficial for individuals suffering from a seizure disorder. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2015

No description available.

De nombreuses études expérimentales montrent que les canaux calciques activés par la dépolarisation membranaire, tout particulièrement les canaux calciques de type T (canaux T), jouent un rôle important dans la physiopathologie des épilepsies. Il existe trois isoformes des canaux T, Cav3.1, Cav3.2 et Cav3.3, toutes exprimées au niveau neuronal. De manière classique, c'est dans l'épilepsie absence où les canaux T ont été le plus étudiés. Les canaux T jouent également un rôle dans des modèles d'épilepsie partielle secondairement généralisée, comme le modèle pilocarpine qui mime l'épilepsie du lobe temporal (ELT). Jusqu'à présent ces canaux ne possédaient pas de pharmacologie spécifique, mais plusieurs molécules récemment synthétisées, en particulier le TTA-A2, apparaissent sélectives des canaux T. Le premier objectif de ma thèse était d'étudier l'implication des canaux T dans l'épileptogenèse. Pour cela nous avons traité des souris au TTA-A2 pendant la phase de latence du modèle pilocarpine (modèle ELT). Nos conditions expérimentales ne nous ont pas permis de conclure quant à une action protectrice du TTA-A2 dans ce modèle. Le deuxième objectif était d'étudier l'effet du TTA-A2 sur des modèles murins de convulsions généralisées : le modèle du Maximal Electroshock Seizure (MES) et le modèle pentylènetétrazole (PTZ). Deux lignées de souris inactivées pour les isoformes Cav3.1 ou Cav3.2 (KO Cav3.1 et KO Cav3.2) ont également été caractérisées dans cette étude. Nous montrons que le TTA-A2 réduit l'apparition des crises toniques dans le modèle MES et que les souris KO Cav3.1 sont également protégées, suggérant un rôle prépondérant des canaux Cav3.1 dans le développement des crises toniques. / Numerous experimental studies show that calcium channels activated by membrane depolarization, especially T-type calcium channels (T-channels), play an important role in the physiopathology of epilepsy. There are three T-channels isoforms, Cav3.1, Cav3.2 and Cav3.3, all expressed in neuronal level. Conventionally, T-channels were the most studied in absence epilepsy. T-channels are also involved in partial secondarily generalized epilepsy models, as the pilocarpine model that mimics temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).Up to now, there was no specific pharmacology for this channels, but several molecules have recently been synthesized, particularly TTA-A2, appearing selective T-channels. The first goal of my thesis was to study the T-channels involvement in epileptogenesis. For this purpose we treated mice with TTA-A2 during the silent phase of the pilocarpine model (TLE model). Our experimental conditions do not allow us to conclude about a possible protective action of TTA-A2 on this model. The second goal was to study TTA-A2 effects on mice models of generalized seizures: the Maximal Electroshock model (MES) and the pentylenetetrazole model (PTZ). Two mice strains knock-out for Cav3.1 or Cav3.2 (KO Cav3.1 and KO Cav3.2) have also been characterized in this study. We show that the TTA-A2 reduces the appearance of tonic seizures in the MES model and the KO Cav3.1 mice are also protected, suggesting a preponderant role of Cav3.1 channels in the development of tonic seizures.

Side effects of seizure medications in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) may affect speech and language development for this population. Research information about these effects may be useful for speech-language pathologist practitioners, since they will most likely work in environments that involve assessing and treating individuals with ID. In this meta-analysis, a total of 19 articles were reviewed to examine the side effects of AEDs in individuals with ID and seizure disorders. Side effects from AEDs were found; however, research regarding how AEDs and seizure disorders affected speech and language development was not available. Based on the findings, participants on AEDs regimens experienced a variety of side effects that included behavioral side effects, adverse cognitive side effects, and non-behavioral side effects. However, information regarding AEDs side effects and speech and language development was nonexistent. Based on the findings, further research in this is much needed for practicing speech-language pathologists in this topic. / text

A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / Epilepsy is the most common neurologic condition seen in children. Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a seizure disorder characterized by abnormal cortical laminar development, comprises approximately 75% of medically intractable epilepsies in the pediatric population. A greater appreciation of the pathology and intrinsic properties of the epileptogenic zone may help in understanding why FCD lesions are drug‐resistant, and could potentially lead to more effective treatments in the pediatric population. Neuronal support cells such as microglia and astrocytes have shown to have a role in FCD pathology. These cells are also activated during aging and traumatic brain injury as evidence by morphological change. This study aims to characterize the spatial distribution of microglia and astrocytes using immunohistochemistry in dysplastic tissue of eight male pediatric patients diagnosed with FCD. Cortical specimens from patients who underwent surgical resection of focally dysplastic cortex at Phoenix Children’s Hospital between 2008 and 2014 were examined using immunohistochemistry. Primary antibodies against GFAP and Iba1, as well as structural staining using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), were incubated on sections and further analyzed using bright‐field microscopy. A pattern of perivascular activated microglia was observed in five patients around at least one blood vessel, while a pattern of non‐localized ramified microglia was observed in the other three patients. No identifiable pattern of astrocytic distribution was found. Thus, distinct patterns of microglia, rather than astrocytes, suggest dual underlying mechanisms of epileptogenesis.

Thesis advisor: Thomas N. Seyfried / Dietary therapy has been used since ancient times to treat the symptoms of disease and disorder. Dietary therapy has long captured the interest of the public in modern times, dating back to the mid-nineteenth century with Englishman William Banting's "Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public", which addressed Banting's anecdotal use of a high-fat diet to treat obesity. High-fat diets became popular in the United States in the early twentieth-century to treat epilepsy. The utility of dietary therapy to treat diseases and disorder has not been embraced widely, as there is a paucity of standardized clinical trials that demonstrate robust safety and therapeutic efficacy for specific diseases and disorders. Additionally, preclinical studies of dietary therapy do not adhere to standardized guidelines, which can hinder cross-study interpretation and reproducibility. To that end, my dissertation updates diet implementation guidelines for preclinical studies that adhere to standardized experimental design and biomarker monitoring in mouse models in order to maximize therapeutic efficacy, diet regimen safety, and cross-study interpretability. With these guidelines, I explored the effect of various diets on circulating glucose and ketone bodies in mice, a measure of glycolytic flux, along with biomarkers of health. I found that calorie-restricted diets, regardless of macronutrient composition, lowers circulating glucose and increases circulating ketone levels, along with improving biomarkers of health, including lowering circulating triglyceride levels. In demonstrating the utility of dietary therapy to treat disease, I also explored the mechanisms on how dietary therapy can be used to treat epilepsy in a preclinical mouse model. I showed that reduced glucose utilization underlies the seizure-protective effects of dietary therapy in EL mice, a mouse model of idiopathic epilepsy. Lastly, I developed a novel tool, the Glucose Ketone Index Calculator, to track the progress of dietary therapy in brain cancer patients through a ratio of circulating glucose to circulating ketone bodies. Evidence is presented that demonstrates a low ratio of glucose to ketone bodies is associated with improved prognosis of brain cancer management in humans and mice. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates the utility of dietary therapy in treating disease using standardized guidelines, and suggests the use of a novel tool to apply and track the progress of dietary therapy in the clinical brain cancer population. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Biology.

O fipronil é um inseticida fenilpirazol de amplo espectro, empregado na Medicina Veterinária e na Agricultura para o controle de pragas; é um potente inibidor do canal de cloreto ligado ao ácido gama aminobutírico (GABA), um dos neurotransmissores responsáveis por efeitos inibitórios no sistema nervoso central (SNC) de mamíferos. Embora vários estudos procurem compreender os mecanismos da toxicidade neuronal dos praguicidas em mamíferos, há poucos relacionados aos efeitos neurocomportamentais. Neste trabalho estudou-se os efeitos da exposição aguda a ao fipronil, utilizando-se modelos comportamentais ligados ao sistema GABAérgico: campo-aberto (CA), labirinto em cruz elevado (LCE), dose convulsivante mínima (DCM) com picrotoxina e pentilenotetrazol, e avaliação dos níveis cerebrais de alguns neurotransmissores e metabólitos. Ratos Wistar machos receberam, por via intragástrica (gavage), dose única de fipronil (1,0; 10,0; 30,0 ou 100,0 mg/Kg) ou água destilada 1 mL/Kg. No CA, uma hora após o tratamento, houve redução significante da distância percorrida, da velocidade média, do tempo em movimento e do número de levantamentos nos animais tratados. No LCE, observou-se diminuição da distância percorrida e número de entradas nos braços fechados e diminuição do número de movimentos iniciados na arena, nos animais tratados. Quanto às convulsões, foi observada redução significante apenas na DCM de pentilenotetrazol em animais expostos a maior dose de fipronil. Uma hora após o tratamento não foram observadas alterações relevantes nos níveis dos neurotransmissores (noradrenalina; dopamina, serotonina e GABA) e seus metabólitos no córtex, no hipotálamo e no striatum. Finalizando, os resultados do presente estudo mostraram que ratos expostos a dose única de fipronil apresentaram alterações comportamentais, caracterizadas por redução da atividade motora no campo aberto, no labirinto em cruz elevado e na dose convulsivante mínima do pentilenotetrazol. Além disso, a maior dose de fipronil (100,0 mg/Kg) causou a morte de 60% dos ratos, num período entre 24 horas a 7 dias após a exposição oral. Esses efeitos comportamentais do fipronil não puderam ser atribuídos a um único sistema de neurotransmissão central. / The Fipronil is a phenylpyrazole insecticide with broad spectrum, both in Veterinary Medicine, and in Agriculture it has been used for the control of nuisances, is a potent inhibitor of chloride channel connected to the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), one of the neurotransmitters responsible for inhibitory effects on the central nervous system (CNS) of mammals. Although several studies try to understand the mechanism of neuronal toxicity of pesticide in mammalian, there are few studies related to neurobehavioral effects. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of fipronil acute exposure, being observed some behaviors models connected to GABAergic system, as open field, elevated plus maze (EPM), as well as in the seizures induced by picrotoxinin and pentylenotetrazole and determinate the brain levels of some neurotransmitter and metabolic levels. Male Wistar rats received by intragastric (gavage), single dose of fipronil (1.0; 10.0; 30.0 or 100.0 mg/Kg) or distilled water. In open field, one hour after treatment, there was a significant reduction of distance moved, average speed, time moving and the number of surveys in treated animals. In the EPM, it was observed decrease in the distance moved, in the number of entries in the closed arms and decrease the number of started movements in the arena, in treated animals. As for seizures, a significant decrease was observed only in minimum convulsant dose of pentylenotetrazole in animals exposed to higher dose of fipronil. One hour after treatment were not observed any relevant changes in the levels of neurotransmitters (norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and GABA) and its metabolites in the cortex, the hypothalamus and the striatum. Finally, the results of this study showed that rats exposed to single dose of fipronil showed behavioral changes, characterized by reduction of motor activity in the open field, in the elevated plus-maze and the minimum convulsant dose of pentyletetrazole. Moreover, the higher dose of fipronil (100.0 mg/Kg) caused the death of 60% of rats, over a period from 24 hours to 7 days after oral exposure. These behavioral effects of fipronil could not be attributed to a single system of central neurotransmission.

O fipronil é um inseticida fenilpirazol de amplo espectro, empregado na Medicina Veterinária e na Agricultura para o controle de pragas; é um potente inibidor do canal de cloreto ligado ao ácido gama aminobutírico (GABA), um dos neurotransmissores responsáveis por efeitos inibitórios no sistema nervoso central (SNC) de mamíferos. Embora vários estudos procurem compreender os mecanismos da toxicidade neuronal dos praguicidas em mamíferos, há poucos relacionados aos efeitos neurocomportamentais. Neste trabalho estudou-se os efeitos da exposição aguda a ao fipronil, utilizando-se modelos comportamentais ligados ao sistema GABAérgico: campo-aberto (CA), labirinto em cruz elevado (LCE), dose convulsivante mínima (DCM) com picrotoxina e pentilenotetrazol, e avaliação dos níveis cerebrais de alguns neurotransmissores e metabólitos. Ratos Wistar machos receberam, por via intragástrica (gavage), dose única de fipronil (1,0; 10,0; 30,0 ou 100,0 mg/Kg) ou água destilada 1 mL/Kg. No CA, uma hora após o tratamento, houve redução significante da distância percorrida, da velocidade média, do tempo em movimento e do número de levantamentos nos animais tratados. No LCE, observou-se diminuição da distância percorrida e número de entradas nos braços fechados e diminuição do número de movimentos iniciados na arena, nos animais tratados. Quanto às convulsões, foi observada redução significante apenas na DCM de pentilenotetrazol em animais expostos a maior dose de fipronil. Uma hora após o tratamento não foram observadas alterações relevantes nos níveis dos neurotransmissores (noradrenalina; dopamina, serotonina e GABA) e seus metabólitos no córtex, no hipotálamo e no striatum. Finalizando, os resultados do presente estudo mostraram que ratos expostos a dose única de fipronil apresentaram alterações comportamentais, caracterizadas por redução da atividade motora no campo aberto, no labirinto em cruz elevado e na dose convulsivante mínima do pentilenotetrazol. Além disso, a maior dose de fipronil (100,0 mg/Kg) causou a morte de 60% dos ratos, num período entre 24 horas a 7 dias após a exposição oral. Esses efeitos comportamentais do fipronil não puderam ser atribuídos a um único sistema de neurotransmissão central. / The Fipronil is a phenylpyrazole insecticide with broad spectrum, both in Veterinary Medicine, and in Agriculture it has been used for the control of nuisances, is a potent inhibitor of chloride channel connected to the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), one of the neurotransmitters responsible for inhibitory effects on the central nervous system (CNS) of mammals. Although several studies try to understand the mechanism of neuronal toxicity of pesticide in mammalian, there are few studies related to neurobehavioral effects. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of fipronil acute exposure, being observed some behaviors models connected to GABAergic system, as open field, elevated plus maze (EPM), as well as in the seizures induced by picrotoxinin and pentylenotetrazole and determinate the brain levels of some neurotransmitter and metabolic levels. Male Wistar rats received by intragastric (gavage), single dose of fipronil (1.0; 10.0; 30.0 or 100.0 mg/Kg) or distilled water. In open field, one hour after treatment, there was a significant reduction of distance moved, average speed, time moving and the number of surveys in treated animals. In the EPM, it was observed decrease in the distance moved, in the number of entries in the closed arms and decrease the number of started movements in the arena, in treated animals. As for seizures, a significant decrease was observed only in minimum convulsant dose of pentylenotetrazole in animals exposed to higher dose of fipronil. One hour after treatment were not observed any relevant changes in the levels of neurotransmitters (norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and GABA) and its metabolites in the cortex, the hypothalamus and the striatum. Finally, the results of this study showed that rats exposed to single dose of fipronil showed behavioral changes, characterized by reduction of motor activity in the open field, in the elevated plus-maze and the minimum convulsant dose of pentyletetrazole. Moreover, the higher dose of fipronil (100.0 mg/Kg) caused the death of 60% of rats, over a period from 24 hours to 7 days after oral exposure. These behavioral effects of fipronil could not be attributed to a single system of central neurotransmission.

Prior studies have demonstrated that a sizeable percentage of children presenting to the epilepsy monitoring unit for evaluation of paroxysmal events (seizures) are found to have non-epileptic seizures (NES) (Asano et al., 2005). The importance of identifying NES cannot be overstated since misdiagnosis often leads to treatment with antiepileptic drugs, which may have side effects that may negatively impact cognition (Chen, Chow, & Lee, 2001) and perhaps even cognitive development. While studies in adults with epilepsy or NES have demonstrated impaired executive functioning and social outcome compared to healthy peers, less work is present among pediatric populations (Cragar, Berry, Fakhoury, Cibula, & Schmitt, 2002; Rantanen, Eriksson, & Nieminen, 2012). Furthermore, research is void of information regarding social skills between these pediatric groups. The aims of this study were to examine group differences between social skills and executive functioning between pediatric epileptic and NES patients, determine if social skills predict diagnostic classification, and examine correlations between executive functioning and social skill measures. This study was conducted on the epilepsy monitoring units (EMU) at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Primary Children's Medical Center. The parent/caregiver of patients admitted to the EMU for video-EEG diagnosis of seizures was approached regarding study participation. A total of 43 children and parent/caregiver participated in this study. The NES group consisted of15 participants (67% female; M age at testing = 12.62, SD = 3.33), and the epilepsy (ES) group consisted of 28 participants (50% female, M age at testing = 11.79, SD = 3.12). Both the parents and children completed brief questionnaires measuring executive functioning and social skills. These measures included The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning, The Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, and the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales. Binomial logistic regression analysis showed social skills did not significantly predict diagnostic group. No group differences were found between children with epilepsy and NES on measures of executive functioning or social skills. Parents of both groups rated their children as having below average social skills, while children rated their social skills in the average range compared to healthy peers. Both children and parents of both groups rated their executive functioning within the average range. Executive functioning scores and social skill scores significantly correlated and regression analyses indicated that the Behavioral Regulation Index on the BRIEF significantly predicted Social Skills on the SSIS. Interpretationof results, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Proper control of movements is critical for an animal’s survival, and requires the robust function of a number of genetic, molecular, neuronal and biomechanical processes. This dissertation describes a body of inter-related studies utilizing a diverse collection of Drosophila mutants to probe the roles individual genes play in shaping motor pattern generation. A particular emphasis is placed on describing the consequences of genetic perturbations of voltage-gated sodium, calcium and potassium ion channels (NaV, CaV, and KV respectively) on the function of neuronal circuits that drive motor behavior. Here, I describe the development of several quantitative protocols to study alterations in of walking (IowaFLI Tracker) and flight motor program activity and behavior in Drosophila mutants. These approaches were utilized to analyze the highly-stereotypic aberrant motor program associated with electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS)-induced seizure discharge activity in each hyperexcitable mutant. Several quantitative and mechanistic similarities between flight motor program activity and ECS-evoked discharges were identified, and the distinct aberrant ECS-evoked activity disclosed an electrophysiological signature of each mutation. Ion channel mutants display a diverse spectrum of neuronal excitability phenotypes that was highlighted in a novel hyperexcitable mutant, Shaker wings down (Swd), characterized by ether-induced leg shaking reminiscent of certain KV channel mutants (e.g. Shaker, KV1) is presented. Detailed analyses revealed disrupted walking and flight, correlated with neuronal hyperexcitability and aberrant action potential generation. Surprisingly, the Swd mutation site was mapped to a single amino acid in the voltage sensor region in paralytic (para, encoding the only NaV gene in Drosophila). Genetic analysis of intra-genic heteroallelic interactions amongst Swd and other identified para alleles further revealed a number of complex mechanisms underlying a wide phenotypic spectrum of altered neuronal excitability and motor pattern generation. The effects of perturbed ion channel function on motor program generation are compared with progressive alterations associated normal aging as well as neurodegeneration. A number of age-resilient and age-vulnerable circuits were identified along with circuit-function biomarkers of aging. Throughout this study, an integrative framework utilizing non-linear dimensional reduction approaches unraveled a broader perspective to visualize and quantify similarities and distinctions between discharge phenotypes across a large collection of Drosophila mutants.