Bastlund Jesper F, Jennum Poul, Mohapel Paul, Penschuck Silke, Watson William P
Department of Neuropharmacology, H. Lundbeck A/S, Valby, Denmark.
Epilepsia. 2005 Jun;46(6):934-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2005.63204.x.
The goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between sleep, hypothalamic pathology, and seizures in spontaneous epileptic rats.
Rats were implanted with radiotelemetry transmitters for measuring electrocorticogram (ECoG) and stimulation electrodes in the hippocampus. Epileptogenesis was triggered by 2 h of electical stimulation-induced self-sustained status epilepticus (SSSE). After SSSE, ECoGs were monitored over a 15-week period for the occurrence of interictal high-amplitude low-frequency (HALF) acitvity and spontaneous reoccurring seizures (SRSs).
Spontaneous epileptic rats showed clinical features of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), such as spontaneous seizures, interictal activity and neuronal cell loss in the dorsomedial hypothalamus, a region important for normal sleep regulation. Interestingly, epileptic rats showed disturbances in sleep architecture, with a high percentage of the seizures occurring during sleep.
Therefore we conclude that a close association exists between epileptiform activity and alterations in sleep architecture that may be related to hypothalamic pathology.
本研究的目的是探讨自发性癫痫大鼠睡眠、下丘脑病理与癫痫发作之间的关系。
给大鼠植入用于测量脑电图（ECoG）的无线电遥测发射器以及海马体中的刺激电极。通过2小时电刺激诱导的自我持续癫痫持续状态（SSSE）引发癫痫发作。SSSE后，在15周内监测ECoG，观察发作间期高幅低频（HALF）活动和自发性反复癫痫发作（SRSs）的发生情况。
自发性癫痫大鼠表现出颞叶癫痫（TLE）的临床特征，如自发性癫痫发作、发作间期活动以及背内侧下丘脑神经元细胞丢失，该区域对正常睡眠调节很重要。有趣的是，癫痫大鼠的睡眠结构出现紊乱，且大部分癫痫发作发生在睡眠期间。
因此我们得出结论，癫痫样活动与睡眠结构改变之间存在密切关联，这可能与下丘脑病理有关。
