Hypoglycemia is a severe side effect of insulin overdose in the diabetic population and can result in various neurological sequalae including seizures, coma, and brain death. There is still a limited understanding of the generation and propagation of hypoglycemic seizures, which may exacerbate hypoglycemia-induced neuronal damage. Moreover, glucose reperfusion after a period of transient hypoglycemia has been shown to cause neuronal hyperexcitability which can have further damaging effects. Gap junctional communication can be involved in the spread of hypoglycemic injury in two ways: 1) by providing a cytoplasmic continuity in which seizures can easily propagate and 2) by engaging the astrocytic network in metabolic compensation as well as enhancing astrocytic buffering of K+. This study aims to investigate the role that gap junctions play during brain energy deprivation. Results from these experiments show that gap junction blockade can have a neuroprotective role during hypoglycemia and glucose reperfusion.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/65609 |
| Date | 07 July 2014 |
| Creators | Sugumar, Sonia |
| Contributors | Carlen, Peter |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
Page generated in 0.0053 seconds