Increased methionine-enkephalin levels in genetically epileptic (tg/tg) mice. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Recent experimental data indicate that endogenous brain ligands for the opioid receptors such as enkephalins, beta-endorphin (beta-End) and dynorphin (Dyn) may be involved in both generalized and partial seizures. The "tottering" (tg/tg) mouse provides an electrophysiological representation of generalized spontaneous human epilepsy. These mice exhibit behavioral absence seizures with accompanying spike-wave discharges. Methionine-enkephalin (M-Enk), beta-End and Dyn levels in various regions of brain were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in 15-18-week-old tg/tg and control (+/+) mice to elucidate the relation between seizures and the opioid system. beta-End and Dyn levels were similar in tg/tg and +/+ mice. However, M-Enk levels were significantly increased in the striatum, cortex, pons and medulla of the tg/tg mice. Our data suggest that in the tottering mouse model of generalized epilepsy there is an alteration of enkephalinergic pathways and not of the endorphinergic or dynorphinergic pathways.

published proceedings

  • Brain Res Bull

author list (cited authors)

  • Patel, V. K., Abbott, L. C., Rattan, A. K., & Tejwani, G. A.

citation count

  • 12

complete list of authors

  • Patel, VK||Abbott, LC||Rattan, AK||Tejwani, GA

publication date

  • December 1991