Reversibility of Neocortical Malformation

新皮质畸形的可逆性

• 批准号: 7535851
• 负责人: Joseph J LoTurco
• 金额: $ 19.95万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-05-15 至 2010-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7535851
• 关键词: Alternative Therapies; Animal Model; Attenuated; Brain; Cells; Cerebral cortex; Convulsants; Cortical Malformation; Data; Development; Diffuse; Disease regression; Dysplasia; Epilepsy; Excision; Exhibits; Human; Immigration; Interneurons; Link; Maps; Modeling; Neurons; Patients; Personal Satisfaction; Pre-Clinical Model; Public Health; Refractory; Restart; Seizures; Slice; Syndrome; Tamoxifen; Testing; Time; Tissues; base; in vivo; malformation; migration; neocortical; nervous system disorder; novel; postnatal; prevent; protein expression; recombinase; relating to nervous system; research study

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A causal link between malformations of cerebral cortex and seizures is well established. Surgical removal of operable malformations can significantly reduce seizures in human patients, however for inoperable or diffuse cortical malformations, often refractory to pharmacological therapy, alternative therapies must be developed. New treatments may evolve from either the discovery of pharmacological agents that target dysplastic or displaced neurons, or from approaches to prevent or eliminate formed or forming malformations. We hypothesize that during development there is a sustained period of structural plasticity during which time neuronal migration can be restarted in displaced neurons. We further hypothesize that during this period early neocortical malformations can be regressed by the appropriate activation or expression of proteins that promote migration, or by elimination of cells that interfere with the migration of other cells. We propose to test this hypothesis by focusing our studies on a novel model of sub cortical band heterotopia (sbh) or double cortex syndrome. In preliminary studies we have found that malformations in this model can be prevented from forming by re-expressing doublecortin (DCX) in migrationally impaired neurons. Most importantly, we observe that malformation regression can occur after a malformation begins to form in early development. Understanding the developmental limits and mechanisms of heterotopia regression in this animal model is an important step to determining whether epileptogenic neuronal malformations in humans may be reversed by reactivating normal neuronal migration. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Seizure disorders caused by developmental malformation of the cerebral cortex are one of the most challenging forms of epilepsy to manage. Such malformations are often formed by early deficits in migration of neurons during early brain maturation. If neurons stalled in there migration during early development can be re-started, then this opens up the possibility of regressing or reversing malformations even after they have begun to form. Experiments proposed here will use a novel pre-clinical model to establish the developmental limits of restoring normal migration and of reversing formation of potentially epileptogenic malformations.

描述（由申请方提供）：已明确确定大脑皮层畸形与癫痫发作之间存在因果关系。手术切除可手术畸形可以显著减少人类患者的癫痫发作，但是对于无法手术或弥漫性皮质畸形，通常药物治疗无效，必须开发替代疗法。新的治疗方法可能会从发现靶向发育不良或移位神经元的药理学药物中发展出来，或者从预防或消除已形成或正在形成的畸形的方法中发展出来。我们假设，在发展过程中，有一个持续的结构可塑性，在此期间，神经元迁移可以重新启动在流离失所的神经元。我们进一步假设，在此期间，早期新皮质畸形可以通过适当激活或表达促进迁移的蛋白质，或通过消除干扰其他细胞迁移的细胞来消退。我们建议通过将我们的研究集中在一种新的皮质下带异位（sbh）或双皮质综合征模型上来验证这一假设。在初步的研究中，我们发现，在这个模型中的畸形可以防止形成的迁移受损的神经元中重新表达doublecortin（DCX）。最重要的是，我们观察到畸形在早期发育中开始形成后可能会发生畸形消退。了解发育的限制和机制，异位回归在这个动物模型是一个重要的步骤，以确定是否在人类致癫痫神经元畸形可以通过重新激活正常的神经元迁移逆转。 公共卫生关系：由大脑皮层发育畸形引起的癫痫发作是最具挑战性的癫痫形式之一。这种畸形通常是由早期脑成熟过程中神经元迁移的早期缺陷形成的。如果在早期发育过程中停滞在那里的神经元迁移可以重新开始，那么即使在它们开始形成之后，这也为退化或逆转畸形提供了可能性。这里提出的实验将使用一种新的临床前模型来建立恢复正常迁移和逆转潜在致癫痫畸形形成的发育限制。