Hippocampus excitotoxicity

Neuronal excitotoxicity AEA levels are elevated in the hippocampus of mice treated with kainic acid. 2-AG levels are elevated in rats treated with pilocarpine These are two animal models of epileptic seizures, where the endocannabinoids play an anti-convulsant and protective function Inhibitors of cellular re-uptake... 

Intracerebroventricular injection of kainic acid has been shown to result in a well-characterized pattern of neuronal cell damage. In the hippocampus, kainic acid causes a selective lesion of the CA3 pyramidal neurons, an area rich in KA1 and GluR6 receptors. The lesion does not compromise passing axons, which is why this type of (excitotoxic) lesion is often referred to as axon-sparing . Kainic acid injection into the hippocampus also leads to epileptiform discharges in cells normally innervated by the damaged pyramidal neurons. 

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Morimoto E., Murasugi T., and Oda T. (2002). Acute neuroinflammation exacerbates excitotoxicity in rat hippocampus in vivo. Exp. Neurol. 177 95-104. 

Wang X. S., Ong W. Y., and Connor J. R. (2002b). Increase in ferric and ferrous iron in the rat hippocampus with time after kainate-induced excitotoxic injury. Exp. Brain Res. 143 137-148. 

Early moderatepostischemic hypothermia attenuates the rise in excitotoxic index in the hippocampus—a possible mechanism for the beneficial effects of postischemic moderate cooBng. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 11, S10. 

Neema M, Navarro-Quiroga I, Chechlacz M, Gilliams-Francis K, Liu J, et al. 2005. DNA damage and non-homologous end joining in excitotoxicity Neuroprotective role of DNA-pkcs in kainic acid-induced seizures. Hippocampus 15 1057-1071. 

Goutan E, Marti E, Ferrer I (1998) BDNF, and full length and truncated TrkB expression in the hippocampus of the rat following kainic acid excitotoxic damage. Evidence of complex time-dependent and cell-specific responses. Brain Res Mol Brain Res 59 154-164. 

Prehn, J. H. Krieglstein, J. Platelet-activating factor antagonists reduce excitotoxic damage in cultured neurons from embryonic chick telencephalon and protect the rat hippocampus and neocortex from ischemic injury in vivo. J. Neurosci. Res., 1993, 34 179-188. 

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