Absence seizures (AS) are a form of childhood epilepsy that manifest themselves in humans as sudden lapses of consciousness. Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) are a genetic model commonly used to study absence seizures in vivo as their AS have similar EEG signatures to humans, in the form of Spike and Wave Discharge (SWD) patterns. To study EEG and hemodynamic patterns observed during AS simultaneously, Dr. Cohen and his team developed a technique to simultaneously collect functional ultrasound imaging (fUS) and EEG recordings for long term live recordings. As part of the research presented here, this technique was further optimized to extend the time of simultaneous recordings, and it has successfully been used to record up to thirty hours of in vivo EEG-fUS recordings in GAERS. This technique is a significant improvement of previous methods used to record and study AS, and as it continues to be further optimized it could be applied to the study of other neurological conditions. AS have been speculated to be pertinent to the behavioral components of sleeping and whisking, although the research looking for underlying mechanisms and detailed patterns between AS and these behaviors is relatively new and underdeveloped. Using recording techniques inspired by the EEG-fUS experiments, we developed an experimental technique to simultaneously gather data from EEG, an accelerometer, EMG, and close-up video of whiskers to be able to study sleeping and whisking patterns in direct correlation to AS. Each of these components was time-locked to each other in order to draw direct comparisons to the onset and continuation of AS. This technique was successfully employed in pilot experiments to record all desired components simultaneously from live rats, and further optimization of the technique could make it a promising tool to more carefully study the relationships between different behavioral components and AS in rats.

Exploration and optimization of experimental methods analyzing absence seizures in the GAERS model

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.