INCREASED SEIZURES SUSCEPTIBILITY AND REACTIVE GLIOSIS IN MALES SUBJECTED TO EXPERIMENTAL FEBRILE SEIZURES

ALICIA ROSSI; ALBERTO JAVIER RAMOS; FLORENCIA RODRIGUEZ; PAULA SARCHI

Congreso; Reunión de Sociedades de Biociencias 2020; 2020

SAIC

INCREASED SEIZURES SUSCEPTIBILITYAND REACTIVE GLIOSIS IN MALES SUBJECTED TO EXPERIMENTAL FEBRILE SEIZURES Rossi AR1,Rodríguez F1, Sarchi P1, Ramos AJ11. IBCN UBA-CONICET,Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires.Febrile seizures occur in 3?5% of children between 6months and 5 years of age. Retrospective studies in adult epilepsy patientsshow an initial precipitating injury, usually febrile seizures, duringchildhood. Using an animal model of hyperthermic seizures (HS), we havepreviously shown that male HS-exposed animals exhibit a significativereduction in the convulsive threshold and moderate reactive gliosis with an atypical astrocytesdistribution in the pyriform cortex and other brain structures while female didnot develop SE and exhibited lower reactive gliosis compared to males. Here we extendedthe analysis of gender differences by studying the distribution of S100B+ glialcells and microglial response in HS-exposed animals. Rat pups (10-11 postnataldays old, PND) were placed in a glass chamber, and their core temperature wasraised by a regulated stream of moderately heated air (39-42°C). Bodytemperature was measure at baseline, seizure onset and every 2 min during theseizures. Hyperthermic temperatures (39.5?42.5 °C) were maintained for 30 min. The seizuresonset was monitored behaviourally, and consisted of an acute sudden arrest ofhyperthermia-induced tonic freeze postures and occasional oral automatism(biting and chewing) and often body flexion. Rats were then placed on a coolsurface, monitored for 5 min before being returned to their mothers. At PND35rats were deeply anesthetized, fixed and brains processed forimmunohistochemistry and morphometrical studies. We observed an increase in thearea occupied by S100B + cells in females, although there was an increase inthe number of S100B cells in both sexes. On the other hand, reactivemicrogliosis was more prominent in males compared with females. Our results stronglysuggest that males are more susceptible to HS exposure and this could berelated to their future susceptibility to develop epilepsy.Supported by grants: UBACYT, PICT 2017-2203, PIPCONICET 479