Effects of lamotrigine and topiramate on hippocampal neurogenesis in experimental temporal-lobe epilepsy.

Abstract

Lamotrigine (LTG) and topiramate (TPM), two of the most commonly used new-generation antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), have been shown to produce no adverse and impaired cognitive effects in patients with epilepsy, respectively. As seizure-induced neurogenesis might contribute to cognitive deficits that are associated with status epilepticus (SE), we examined whether these two drugs produce differential effects on seizure-induced neurogenesis in the hippocampus of adult rats. Lithium pilocarpine model was used to mimic human temporal-lobe epilepsy. Five hours after SE, LTG and TPM were administered intragastrically twice daily throughout the entire length of the experiment with total daily dose of 20 and 80 mg/kg, respectively. The hippocampal neurogenesis was examined using 5-bromodeoxyuridine and doublecortin immunohistochemistry. Both LTG and TPM treatments significantly inhibited seizure-induced proliferation of neural progenitors in the hippocampus, but did not affect the neuronal differentiation of newborn cells. Long-term treatment with both AEDs decreased the number of spontaneous recurrent seizures after SE and alleviated chronic seizure-induced neuronal injury in the dentate hilus. Eventually, TPM significantly increased the number of newborn neurons in the dentate granular cell layer after seizures likely by promoting the survival of newborn neurons. In contrast, LTG treatment significantly reduced the number of ectopic hilar newborn neurons after seizures. Neither of them prevented the formation of hilar basal dendrites of newborn neurons in the epileptic hippocampus. These results indicate that TPM but not LTG promotes aberrant neuron regeneration in the hippocampus after SE, which might be partially related to their differential effects on cognitive function.

• Authors: Jing Chen, Qing-Yun Quan, Fang Yang, Ying Wang, Jin-Cun Wang, Gang Zhao, Wen Jiang
• Journal: Brain research (Brain Res) Vol. 1313 Pg. 270-82 (Feb 08 2010) ISSN: 1872-6240 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 20025852 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anticonvulsants
• Dcx protein, rat
• Doublecortin Protein
• Triazines
• Topiramate
• Fructose
• Lamotrigine

Topics

• Adult Stem Cells (drug effects, physiology)
• Animals
• Anticonvulsants (pharmacology)
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Chronic Disease (drug therapy)
• Dendrites (drug effects, physiology)
• Dentate Gyrus (drug effects, physiopathology)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Doublecortin Protein
• Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe (chemically induced, drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Fructose (analogs & derivatives, pharmacology)
• Hippocampus (drug effects, physiopathology)
• Lamotrigine
• Male
• Neurogenesis (drug effects)
• Neurons (drug effects, physiology)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Seizures (chemically induced, drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Topiramate
• Triazines (pharmacology)