EFFECTS OF CEREBELLAR LESIONS ON TONIC SEIZURES, TREMOR AND LIFE-SPANIN MYELIN-DEFICIENT RATS

Citation
J. Rosenbluth et al., EFFECTS OF CEREBELLAR LESIONS ON TONIC SEIZURES, TREMOR AND LIFE-SPANIN MYELIN-DEFICIENT RATS, Brain research, 650(1), 1994, pp. 85-92
Citations number
21
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
00068993
Volume
650
Issue
1
Year of publication
1994
Pages
85 - 92
Database
ISI
SICI code
0006-8993(1994)650:1<85:EOCLOT>2.0.ZU;2-B
Abstract
In common with other dysmyelinating mutants, the myelin-deficient rat displays an action tremor and tonic seizures culminating in the death of the animals at similar to 23-26 days. We find that deep lesions of the cerebellar vermis alleviate the manifestations of the myelin defic iency significantly. Such lesions introduced at 20 days or later elimi nate both tremor and seizures for periods up to 10 days. Lifespan is p rolonged to nearly 30 days, on average, and to 35 days in some cases. Shallow lesions of the vermis or lateral lobe lesions have relatively little effect. Based on these observations we suggest that the cerebel lum contributes not only to the action tremor but also to the tonic se izures characteristic of central myelin deficiency. Spontaneous activi ty originating in myelin-deficient fiber tracts may be carried to the cerebellum and processed there to produce a highly amplified and/or sy nchronized output to broad areas of the neuraxis. Deep lesions of the vermis presumably interfere with cerebellar output and compromise the cerebellar contribution to the seizures. Tonic seizures and other 'par oxysmal attacks' also occur commonly in human demyelinating diseases i ncluding multiple sclerosis [11]. Manipulation of cerebellar output of fers a potential approach to the control of such spontaneous activity.