FWO travel credit for a long stay abroad, at University of Trieste, Italy concerning study "Febrile seizures persistently alter hippocampal GABAA receptor physiology" (R-6188)

Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common type of childhood seizures, affecting 2-3% of the children between 3 months and 5 years. Correlative clinical studies have linked early-life FS to temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) later in life. Insight into the cellular mechanisms underlying FS-induced epileptogenesis is crucial for a rational drug design to treat TLE. The present study aims at elucidating whether altered hippocampal GABAergic signalling can be a link between childhood FS and TLE in adulthood. For a translational approach, we collected freshly frozen hippocampal biopsies from TLE patients with and without a FS history. Hippocampal membranes are isolated from the frozen specimen and transplanted into Xenopus laevis oocytes allowing the incorporation of human GABAA receptors in the oocyte plasma membrane. GABA-evoked currents are recorded by two micro-electrode voltage-clamp on oocytes. The results of this study indicate that FS cause a long-lasting alteration in the functional properties of hippocampal GABAA receptors.

Keywords:Febrile seizures, hippocampus, temporal lobe epilepsy

Disciplines:Basic sciences, Clinical sciences, Translational sciences, Psychology and cognitive sciences