Long-term plasticity of endocannabinoid signaling induced by developmental febrile seizures

Neuron. 2003 Aug 14;39(4):599-611. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00499-9.

Abstract

Febrile (fever-induced) seizures are the most common form of childhood seizures, affecting 3%-5% of infants and young children. Here we show that the activity-dependent, retrograde inhibition of GABA release by endogenous cannabinoids is persistently enhanced in the rat hippocampus following a single episode of experimental prolonged febrile seizures during early postnatal development. The potentiation of endocannabinoid signaling results from an increase in the number of presynaptic cannabinoid type 1 receptors associated with cholecystokinin-containing perisomatic inhibitory inputs, without an effect on the endocannabinoid-mediated inhibition of glutamate release. These results demonstrate a selective, long-term increase in the gain of endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde signaling at GABAergic synapses in a model of a human neurological disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology
  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Endocannabinoids
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / pharmacology
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / metabolism*
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / physiopathology
  • Hyperthermia, Induced
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Long-Term Potentiation / drug effects
  • Long-Term Potentiation / physiology
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Neuronal Plasticity / physiology*
  • Neurons / physiology*
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Presynaptic Terminals / metabolism
  • Presynaptic Terminals / ultrastructure
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Receptors, Cannabinoid
  • Receptors, Drug / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptors, Drug / metabolism
  • Seizures, Febrile / physiopathology*
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology*
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / metabolism

Substances

  • Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators
  • Endocannabinoids
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
  • Receptors, Cannabinoid
  • Receptors, Drug
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid