Neo-Timm staining in the thalamus of chronically epileptic rats
Data
2005-11-01
Autores
Hamani, Clement 
Paulo, I. de
Mello, Luiz Eugenio Araujo de Moraes
Tipo
Artigo
Título da Revista
ISSN da Revista
Título de Volume
Resumo
The thalamus is an important modulator of seizures and is severely affected in cholinergic models of epilepsy. In the present study, chronically epileptic rats had their brains processed for neo-Timm and acetylcholinesterase two months after the induction of status epilepticus with pilocarpine. Both controls and pilocarpine-treated animals presented neo-Timm staining in the anterodorsal nucleus, laterodorsal nucleus, reticular nucleus, most intralaminar nuclei, nucleus reuniens, and rhomboid nucleus of the thalamus, as well as in the zona incerta. The intensity of neo-Timm staining was similar in control and pilocarpine-treated rats, except for the nucleus reuniens and the rhomboid nucleus, which had a lower intensity of staining in the epileptic group. In animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy, zinc seems to modulate glutamate release and to decrease seizure activity. In this context, a reduction of neo-Timm-stained terminals in the midline thalamus could ultimately result in an increased excitatory activity, not only within its related nuclei, but also in anatomical structures that receive their efferent connections. This might contribute to the pathological substrate observed in chronic pilocarpine-treated epileptic animals.
Descrição
Citação
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica, v. 38, n. 11, p. 1677-1682, 2005.