Schneider Miriam, de Vries Petrus J, Schönig Kai, Rößner Veit, Waltereit Robert
Research Group Developmental Neuropsychopharmacology, Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2017 Aug;267(5):455-463. doi: 10.1007/s00406-016-0703-8. Epub 2016 Jun 4.
Epilepsy is a major risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complicates clinical manifestations and management of ASD significantly. Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), caused by TSC1 or TSC2 mutations, is one of the medical conditions most commonly associated with ASD and has become an important model to examine molecular pathways associated with ASD. Previous research showed reversal of autism-like social deficits in Tsc1 and Tsc2 mouse models by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors. However, at least 70 % of individuals with TSC also have epilepsy, known to complicate the severity and treatment responsiveness of the behavioural phenotype. No previous study has examined the impact of seizures on neurocognitive reversal by mTOR inhibitors. Adult Tsc2 (Eker)-rats express social deficits similar to Tsc2 mice, with additive social deficits from developmental status epilepticus (DSE). DSE was induced by intraperitoneal injection with kainic acid at post-natal days P7 and P14 (n = 12). The experimental group that modelled TSC pathology carried the Tsc2 (Eker)-mutation and was challenged with DSE. The wild-type controls had not received DSE (n = 10). Four-month-old animals were analysed for social behaviour (T1), then treated three times during 1 week with 1 mg/kg everolimus and finally retested in the post-treatment behavioural analysis (T2). In the experimental group, both social interaction and social cognition were impaired at T1. After treatment at T2, behaviour in the experimental group was indistinguishable from controls. The mTOR inhibitor, everolimus, reversed social deficit behaviours in the Tsc2 haploinsufficiency plus DSE animal model to control levels.
癫痫是自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)的主要风险因素,会显著使ASD的临床表现和管理复杂化。由TSC1或TSC2突变引起的结节性硬化症(TSC)是与ASD最常相关的医学病症之一,已成为研究与ASD相关分子途径的重要模型。先前的研究表明,雷帕霉素哺乳动物靶点(mTOR)抑制剂可逆转Tsc1和Tsc2小鼠模型中的自闭症样社交缺陷。然而,至少70%的TSC患者也患有癫痫,已知癫痫会使行为表型的严重程度和治疗反应性复杂化。以前没有研究考察过癫痫发作对mTOR抑制剂所致神经认知逆转的影响。成年Tsc2(Eker)大鼠表现出与Tsc2小鼠相似的社交缺陷,发育性癫痫持续状态(DSE)会加重其社交缺陷。在出生后第7天和第14天腹腔注射海藻酸诱导DSE(n = 12)。模拟TSC病理的实验组携带Tsc2(Eker)突变并接受DSE刺激。野生型对照组未接受DSE(n = 10)。对4个月大的动物进行社交行为分析(T1),然后在1周内用1mg/kg依维莫司治疗3次,最后在治疗后行为分析中进行重新测试(T2)。在实验组中,T1时社交互动和社交认知均受损。T2治疗后,实验组的行为与对照组无差异。mTOR抑制剂依维莫司将Tsc2单倍体不足加DSE动物模型中的社交缺陷行为逆转至对照水平。