EXPLORING DIFFERENT THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR SEIZURE SUPPRESSION USING THE ZEBRAFISH MODEL

• Grant number: 13/19151-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2014
• End date: January 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Cláudia Vianna Maurer Morelli
• Grantee: Patrícia Gonçalves Barbalho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07559-3 - BRAINN - The Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, AP.CEPID
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/08794-4 - USING THE CRISPR/CAS9 SYSTEM TO CREATE A LAFORA DISEASE MODEL IN ZEBRAFISH: INVESTIGATING NEUROINFLAMMATION IN EPILEPSY, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Epilepsy is a neurological disease characterized by the presence of spontaneous and recurrent seizures that affect around 70 million people worldwide. Although the vast majority of patients respond well to drug therapy, approximately 30% are pharmacoresistant. Pharmacoresistance in epilepsy is associated with reduced quality of life and an increased risk of sudden death. Therefore there is a need for the discovery of new compounds with anticonvulsant properties. The understanding of the molecular mechanisms that trigger generation of seizures is essential for the development of new therapeutic approaches. In this context, the present study investigated the effect of anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and hypothermia therapies in suppressing the generation of pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in the zebrafish model. In addition, the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool was used to create a Lafora Disease model, a form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy, in order to test anti-inflammatory compounds for this specific condition. Taken together, our data provide evidence of the anticonvulsant effects of each therapy and highlight how each therapy can act to minimize the changes/damage associated with seizure activity.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BARBALHO, PATRICIA GONCALVES; LOPES-CENDES, ISCIA; MAURER-MORELLI, CLAUDIA VIANNA. Indomethacin treatment prior to pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures downregulates the expression of il1b and cox2 and decreases seizure-like behavior in zebrafish larvae. BMC NEUROSCIENCE, v. 17, MAR 9 2016. (13/19151-9, 13/07559-3, 14/15640-8)

BARBALHO, PATRCIA GONCALVES; CARVALHO, BENILTON DE SA; LOPES-CENDES, ISCIA; MAURER-MORELLI, CLAUDIA VIANNA. Cyclooxygenase-1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Seizure Suppression: Evidences from Zebrafish Pentylenetetrazole-Seizure Model. FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY, v. 7, NOV 15 2016. (13/19151-9, 13/07559-3, 14/15640-8)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

BARBALHO, Patrícia Gonçalves. Exploring different therapeutic approaches for seizure suppression using the zebrafish model. 2018. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Ciências Médicas Campinas, SP.