Age-related Differences in the Development of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy and Its Comorbidities
Abstract number :
3.005
Submission category :
1. Basic Mechanisms / 1A. Epileptogenesis of acquired epilepsies
Year :
2021
Submission ID :
1825891
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/6/2021 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2021, 06:51 AM
Authors :
Victoria Golub, BS, PhD* - Texas A&M Health Science Center; D. Samba Reddy, PhD, RPh - Texas A&M Health Science Center
Rationale: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes death and disability in young and aged people. Younger brains are considered more “plastic” in response to injury, whereas aged brains exhibit greater neuronal damage and dysfunction. However, the age-related impact of TBI on epilepsy development is not widely investigated. Here, we sought to characterize the age-related differences in the development of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and its comorbidities.
Methods: We used a controlled cortical impact model of severe TBI in young adult (3-5 mon) and aged (15-17 mon) mice. They were monitored for spontaneous seizures continuously for 4 months. Sensorimotor, behavior, and cognition dysfunction were assessed at regular intervals after TBI.
Results: Epileptic seizures were identified in both cohorts after TBI. Latency to first seizure was similar between groups; however, a significantly lower incidence of spontaneous seizures was noted in aged mice (p=0.0102). Besides a lower seizure frequency, significantly fewer total seizures and cumulative duration seizing amongst the aged mice was also noted (p < 0.0001). Mortality rate was slightly higher in aged cohort. Moreover, aged mice displayed greater behavior dysfunction compared to the young cohort.
Basic Mechanisms