In view of the increase in the aging population and the unavoidable parallel increase in the incidence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, a key challenge in neuroscience is the identification of clinical signatures which change with age and impact on neuronal and cognitive function. Early diagnosis offers the possibility of early therapeutic intervention, thus magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is potentially a powerful diagnostic tool. We evaluated age-related changes in relaxometry, blood flow, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in the rat by magnetic resonance imaging and assessed these changes in the context of the age-related decrease in synaptic plasticity. We report that T2 relaxation time was decreased with age; this was coupled with a decrease in gray matter perfusion, suggesting that the observed microglial activation, as identified by increased expression of CD11b, MHCII, and CD68 by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), might be a downstream consequence of these changes. Increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier was observed in the perivascular area and the hippocampus of aged, compared with young, rats. Similarly there was an age-related increase in CD45-positive cells by flow cytometry, which are most likely infiltrating macrophages, with a parallel increase in the messenger mRNA expression of chemokines IP-10 and MCP-1. These combined changes may contribute to the deficit in long-term potentiation (LTP) in perforant path-granule cell synapses of aged animals.

Apoptosis signaling pathways are implicated in the pathogenesis of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), but the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and ER-localized apoptosis signaling components remains largely unexplored. Presently, we investigated ER stress and ER localization of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members and initiator and effector caspases in resected hippocampus from patients with intractable TLE and compared findings with autopsy controls. Hippocampal immunoreactivity for KDEL (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu), a motif in ER stress chaperones glucose-regulated proteins 78 and 94, and calnexin, was significantly higher in TLE hippocampus compared with controls. The ER-containing microsomal fraction in control brain contained Bid, Bim, and caspase 3, whereas Bad and caspases 6, 7, and 9 were very low or absent. In contrast, caspases 6, 7, and 9 were present within the microsomal fraction of TLE brain. Furthermore, cleaved caspases 7 and 9 were detected in TLE samples but not controls, and KDEL-expressing neurons coexpressed cleaved caspase 9. Potentially adaptive changes were also detected, including lowered Bim levels in this fraction, and binding of caspase 7 to the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. These data suggest seizures may induce ER stress and trigger proapoptotic signaling pathways in the ER that are counteracted by antiapoptotic signals in chronic human TLE.

Single-Ig-interleukin-1 related receptor (SIGIRR) is a member of the interleukin (IL)-1/Toll-like receptor (TLR) family. It negatively regulates inflammation, rendering SIGIRRϪ/Ϫ mice more susceptible to inflammatory challenge. This susceptibility extends to the brain, where increased responsiveness to lipopolysaccharide has been observed in SIGIRR-deficient mice. While this is likely due to enhanced TLR4-mediated signaling, the functional consequences of these changes have not yet been described. In the current study, we have investigated the impact of SIGIRR deficiency on hippocampal function, and show that novel object recognition, spatial reference memory, and long-term potentiation (LTP) were impaired in SIGIRR Ϫ/Ϫ mice. These changes were accompanied by increased expression of IL-1RI and TLR4, and upregulation of their downstream signaling events, namely IRAK1 (IL-1R-associated kinase 1), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and nuclear factor B (NF-B). The deficit in LTP was attenuated by the endogenous IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and an anti-TLR4 antibody, and also by inhibition of JNK and NF-B. We propose that IL-1RI is activated by IL-1␣ and TLR4 is activated by the endogenous agonist, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), as we identified enhanced expression of both cytokines in the hippocampus of SIGIRRϪ/Ϫ mice. Additionally, application of HMGB1 increased the activation of JNK and NF-B and was found to be detrimental to LTP in a TLR4-dependent manner. These findings highlight the functional role of SIGIRR in regulating inflammatorymediated synaptic and cognitive decline, and describe evidence of the key role of HMGB1 in this process.

A neuroprotected state can be acquired by preconditioning brain with a stimulus that is subthreshold for damage (tolerance). Acquisition of tolerance involves coordinate, bi-directional changes to gene expression levels and the re-programmed phenotype is determined by the preconditioning stimulus. While best studied in ischemic brain there is evidence brief seizures can confer tolerance against prolonged seizures (status epilepticus). Presently, we developed a model of epileptic preconditioning in mice and used microarrays to gain insight into the transcriptional phenotype within the target hippocampus at the time tolerance had been acquired. Epileptic tolerance was induced by an episode of non-damaging seizures in adult C57Bl/6 mice using a systemic injection of kainic acid. Neuron and DNA damage-positive cell counts 24 h after status epilepticus induced by intraamygdala microinjection of kainic acid revealed preconditioning given 24 h prior reduced CA3 neuronal death by ~45% compared with non-tolerant seizure mice. Microarray analysis of over 39,000 transcripts (Affymetrix 430 2.0 chip) from microdissected CA3 subfields was undertaken at the point at which tolerance was acquired. Results revealed a unique profile of small numbers of equivalently up-and down-regulated genes with biological functions that included transport and localization, ubiquitin metabolism, apoptosis and cell cycle control. Select microarray findings were validated post hoc by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. The present study defines a paradigm for inducing epileptic preconditioning in mice and first insight into the global transcriptome of the seizure-damage refractory brain. Keywordsepilepsy; transcriptome; kainic acid; tolerance; neuroprotection; apoptosis Stressful and potentially noxious insults that are subthreshold for damage are capable of rendering brain refractory to damage incurred by a subsequent, prolonged and otherwise harmful stressor (Dirnagl et al., 2003). This process, termed preconditioning, is a highly conserved endogenous mechanism by which brain can protect itself (tolerance) (Chen and Simon, 1997 Tolerance in brain was originally identified as a gene synthesis-dependent process that took 1-3 days to be acquired in vivo (Kitagawa et al., 1991;Simon et al., 1993;Chen et al., 1996). The process is highly conserved, being readily elicited in numerous rat and mouse models of ischemic brain injury (Dirnagl et al., 2003;Gidday, 2006;Stenzel-Poore et al., 2007). It may also have clinical relevance as evinced by more favorable outcomes in patients experiencing transient ischemic attacks prior to a large stroke (Weih et al., 1999). Preconditioning can also be induced by other brain insults including seizure (Sasahira et al., 1995;Najm et al., 1998;El Bahh et al., 2001;Borges et al., 2007) and certain chemicals/drugs (Rosenzweig et al., 2004), and cross-tolerance whereby ischemic and other paradigms are combined has also been reported in rodents (Plamondon et al., 1999;Towfighi et al., 1999).Mi...

Release of interleukin (IL)-1β from immunocompetent cells requires formation of the NACHT, LLR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and caspase 1 activation. Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), acting on the P2X(7) receptor, is one factor that stimulates inflammasome assembly. We show that a novel specific P2X(7) receptor antagonist, GSK1370319A, inhibits ATP-induced increase in IL-1β release and caspase 1 activation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed mixed glia by blocking assembly of the inflammasome in a pannexin 1-dependent manner. GSK1370319A also inhibits ATP-induced subregion-specific neuronal loss in hippocampal organotypic slice cultures, which is dependent on its ability to prevent inflammasome assembly in glia. Significantly, GSK1370319A attenuates age-related deficits in long-term potentiation (LTP) and inhibits the accompanying age-related caspase 1 activity. We conclude that inhibiting P2X(7) receptor-activated NLRP3 inflammasome formation and the consequent IL-1β release from glia preserve neuronal viability and synaptic activity.