Astrocyte activation and memory impairment in the repetitive febrile seizures model

Frequently repetitive febrile seizures (FRFS) in immature brain could impair long-term memory without obvious pathological alteration. Although astrocyte activation has been implicated in many seizure models, it has never been examined in febrile seizure models. We investigated astrocyte activation states after FRFS in postnatal-10-day (P10) rats by western blot and immunohistochemical analysis of GFAP and S100beta, two protein markers for activated astrocytes, at three time points (P25, P35, P45). The levels of GFAP and S100beta increased significantly at all the time examined. Furthermore, we administered propentofylline, an astrocyte modulator, to verify the relationship between the activated astrocytes and memory injury. After propentofylline treatment for 10 consecutive days following P10 frequently repetitive FS, rats exhibited improved performances in Morris water maze at P36 and inhibitory avoidance task at P45, along with markedly suppressed overexpression of GFAP and S100beta. This research suggests that modulation of astrocyte activation might be a potential therapeutic target to improve memory outcomes after frequently repetitive febrile seizures.