Study on the basal nucleus of Meynert, an important cholinergic center, in the model of epilepsy induced by pilocarpine

• Grant number: 07/03317-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2007
• End date: August 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Ésper Abrão Cavalheiro
• Grantee: Leandro Leite Antonio
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic disturbance of the central nervous system present in 1-2% of the world population. Most of these seizures (65%) are believed to arise from limbic structures present in temporal lobe and 40% of these are refractory to the conventional therapy. Several pathologies, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and epilepsy, present changes in cholinergic connections between the basal nuclei and limbic structures which have been suggested to underlie at least some of the physiopathologic mechanisms. The induction of hippocampal theta rhythm via stimulation of septal nuclei has been shown to decrease the number of seizures in the pilocarpine model. Nevertheless, the role of other cholinergic nuclei as the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert (NBM) on seizure induction and on other epileptic manifestations has suggested contradictory opinions. Due to its extensive connections with the subiculum and the entorhinal cortex, key structures in the establishment of temporal lobe epilepsy, NBM has been considered an intriguing structure in respect to epileptic phenomenon. Accordingly, this research project aims to study NBM involvement in the pilocarpine-model of epilepsy using different methodological approaches. (AU)