Doublecortin (DCX) immunoreactivity in hippocampus of chronic refractory temporal lobe epilepsy patients with hippocampal sclerosis.

D´ALESSIO L., KONOPKA H., LÓPEZ EM., SEOANE E., CONSALVO D., ODDO S., KOCHEN S., LÓPEZ-COSTA JJ.

SEIZURE : THE JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH EPILEPSY ASSOCIATION.

W B SAUNDERS CO LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2010 vol. 19 p. 567 - 572

1059-1311

Introduction: Status epilepticus increases the production of new neurons (hippocampus neurogenesis) and promotes aberrant migration. However, chronic experimental models of epilepsy and studies performed in human epilepsy showed controversial results suggesting a reduction in hippocampal neurogenesis in late stages of the disease. Doublecortin (DCX) has been validated to determine alterations in the production of new neurons in the human hippocampus.Objectives: Determine DCX expression in human hippocampal sclerosis (HS) from patients who underwent epilepsy surgery for refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).Methods: Hippocampal sections of 9 patients with HS and TLE who underwent surgery, were processed using immunoperoxidase for DCX. Archival material from 5 normal post-mortem hippocampus were simultaneously processed.Results: Significantly lower staining intensity was observed in DCX-positive neurons localized in dentate gyrus (DG) and in CA1 of epileptic hippocampus; lower DCX reactive area was observed in pyramidal layers of CA1; and a reduction in the mean number of DCX-positve neurons were determined in DG compared to normal hippocampus.Conclusions: This study found a decrease in DCX expression in hippocampus of patients with HS and chronic and refractory TLE suggesting alterations in NG and hippocampal synaptogenesis with potential cognitive and emotional repercussion.