Enhanced Synaptic Transmission in the Extended Amygdala and Altered Excitability in an Extended Amygdala to Brainstem Circuit in a Dravet Syndrome Mouse Model.

ABSTRACT: Dravet syndrome (DS) is a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with an increased incidence of sudden death. Evidence of interictal breathing deficits in DS suggests that alterations in subcortical projections to brainstem nuclei may exist, which might be driving comorbidities in DS. The aim of this study was to determine whether a subcortical structure, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the extended amygdala, is activated by seizures, exhibits changes in excitability, and expresses any alterations in neurons projecting to a brainstem nucleus associated with respiration, stress response, and homeostasis. Experiments were conducted using F1 mice generated by breeding 129.Scn1a^+/- mice with wild-type C57BL/6J mice. Immunohistochemistry was performed to quantif

SUBMITTER: Yan WW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8213443 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature