Effect of environmental enrichment in reducing seizure-induced neuronal injury. Koh-7K08NS002068-05

Neuropsychiatric consequences of poorly controlled seizures that begin in childhood can be devastating. School failure or behavioral difficulty in a child with epilepsy is common and can become the focus of concern for families. Current antiepileptic drugs compound problems with their CNS side effects; effective therapy is currently limited as little is known about the cellular and molecular changes caused by seizures in the developing brain. This study will investigate transcriptional regulation induced by early-life seizures and explore alternative nonpharmacological therapeutic strategies in reversing damages of early-life seizures. We will study the therapeutic efficacy of environmental enrichment in reducing seizure-induced neuronal injury and in modifying gene expression alterations. We will explore molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of enriched environment and examine how different genes act in concert to influence the outcome of seizure-induced damage.

12

Koh S, Chung H, Xia H, Mahadevia A, Song Y