H. Sejima et al., Regional excitatory and inhibitory amino acid concentrations in Noda epileptic rat (NER) brain, BRAIN DEVEL, 21(6), 1999, pp. 382-385
We measured regional concentrations of excitatory and inhibitory amino acid
s in Noda epileptic rat (NER) brains to investigate the mechanisms responsi
ble for spontaneous generalized seizures. Compared with Fisher 344 (F344) r
ats and F1 hybrid (female NER x male F344 rat) rats, NERs had significantly
higher concentrations of glycine in the cerebellum. NERs and F1 hybrid rat
s had significantly lower concentrations of taurine in the cerebellum than
did F344 rats. Although our findings do not explain sufficiently the mechan
isms directly responsible for spontaneous seizures, they suggest that the c
erebellum of NER may be in an excited state to dampen seizures, while the c
erebellum of Fl hybrid rats may also be slightly excited to inhibit milder
forms of seizures. Further studies, including microdialysis and receptor bi
nding assays, will be required to elucidate these mechanisms. (C) 1999 Else
vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.