Pathophysiology of Developing Dysplastic Human Cortex

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Resective neurosurgery is a frequent treatment for children with therapy-resistant epilepsy. About half of surgical cases have cortical dysplasia (CD), consisting of cortical dyslamination, heterotopic neurons, and dysmorphic cytomegalic neurons and balloon cells. The others have non-CD pathologies such as infarcts and Rasmussen syndrome. The goals of this research project are to examine the electrophysiologic and anatomic properties of cells in pediatric CD tissue to discern mechanisms that lead to epileptogenesis. In the previous funding period, we found that cytomegalic neurons displayed increased voltage-gated calcium currents, and cytomegalic neurons and about 30% of pyramidal neurons showed decreased Mg++ sensitive NMDA receptors similar to immature cortex. Balloon cells did not display active membrane properties or synaptic activity. In Preliminary studies, we also found that severe CD has other immature features. These include more GABA than glutamate spontaneous synaptic currents and terminals, greater layer 1 evoked GABA-mediated currents, GABA-A receptors with depolarized reversal potentials, longer GABA-A receptor decay time constants, and more interneurons than expected including recently discovered cytomegalic GABA neurons. These findings lead us to hypothesize that severe CD consists of a proportion of cells that retain immature GABA signaling properties interacting with normal mature-like pyramidal cells to produce "pro-epileptic" conditions and seizures. This renewal will address this hypothesis by determining in severe CD if: 1) Synaptic signaling is similar to immature cortex with GABA (not glutamate) as the predominant neurotransmitter; 2) GABAA receptors on cytomegalic and some pyramidal neurons show immature characteristics, such as depolarized reversal potentials; 3) Enhancement of GABA function from GABA altering medications are excitatory and "pro-epileptic"; and 4) Interneurons display immature characteristics associated with spontaneous rhythmic "pacemaker" GABA activity on pyramidal neurons. The results of these experiments will discern developmental pathologic mechanisms of epileptogenesis associated with CD that cannot be obtained from animal CD models, and begin translational research studies that will provide insight into rational pharmacological treatments for pediatric CD patients with epilepsy.