Mellanby J, Hawkins C, Mellanby H, Rawlins J N, Impey M E
J Physiol (Paris). 1984;79(4):207-15.
The use of tetanus toxin, injected into the hippocampus of the rat, to produce an "animal model" of chronic limbic epilepsy is described. This model has yielded information complementary to that derived from other animal models and has several important advantages: while it involves spontaneous seizures, it occurs without gross damage to the brain ; it is eventually reversible in terms of fits and the overall reappearance of the EEG. It can therefore be used to look both at the effects of ongoing epilepsy and also at the long-term changes in brain function induced by previous epilepsy. Evidence is presented that the toxin probably remains localised at the site of injection. The information which has so far been obtained with this model on the relation between epilepsy and abnormal behaviour is summarised. In particular, it appears that the epilepsy produces long-term deficits in the animals' ability to learn and remember of a sort which suggest that an enduring malfunction has been induced in the hippocampus. The significance of the findings for clinical research and for future investigation of the nature of epilepsy are described. It is emphasised that the neurotoxins may be usefully exploited not only for investigating the molecular basis of neuronal mechanisms but also for inducing long-lasting plastic changes in integrated brain function.
本文描述了通过向大鼠海马体注射破伤风毒素来建立慢性边缘性癫痫“动物模型”的方法。该模型所提供的信息与其他动物模型互补，且具有几个重要优点：虽然它会引发自发性癫痫发作，但不会对大脑造成严重损伤；就癫痫发作和脑电图的整体恢复而言，最终是可逆的。因此，它既可以用于研究持续性癫痫的影响，也可以用于研究先前癫痫发作所诱发的大脑功能的长期变化。有证据表明，毒素可能局限于注射部位。总结了迄今为止利用该模型获得的关于癫痫与异常行为之间关系的信息。特别是，癫痫似乎会导致动物学习和记忆能力出现长期缺陷，这表明海马体已诱发了持久性功能障碍。阐述了这些发现对临床研究以及未来癫痫本质研究的意义。强调了神经毒素不仅可用于研究神经元机制的分子基础，还可用于诱导整合脑功能的持久可塑性变化。
