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Updated: Feb 16, 2026

The Pilocarpine Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and EEG Monitoring Using Radiotelemetry System in Mice
Published on: February 27, 2018
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and its receptor changes in human temporal lobe epilepsy
N C de Lanerolle1, M Gunel, S Sundaresan
1Section of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8039, USA.
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) receptor distribution in the human hippocampus was studied. Elevated VIP receptor binding in epilepsy patients suggests a role in neuronal excitability and survival during seizures.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neuropharmacology
- Epilepsy Research
Background:
- The human hippocampus plays a critical role in memory and is implicated in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
- Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is a neuropeptide with known neuromodulatory functions.
- Understanding VIP receptor distribution in the human hippocampus is essential for elucidating its role in neurological conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the distribution of VIP receptors in the human hippocampus.
- To investigate the relationship between VIP receptor and VIP peptide distribution.
- To examine VIP receptor changes in the context of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
Main Methods:
- Receptor autoradiography using [3-iodotyrosyl-125I]Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide ([125I]VIP) as a ligand.
- Immunocytochemistry to visualize VIP peptide distribution.
- Analysis of hippocampi from neurologically normal autopsy subjects and TLE patients.
Main Results:
- Highest [125I]VIP binding observed in the dentate molecular layer of autopsy hippocampi and TLE patients without significant hippocampal lesions.
- Significant elevations in [125I]VIP binding were found in Ammon's Horn (CA fields) and subiculum of TLE patients with neuronal loss.
- VIP receptor binding density negatively correlated with neuronal numbers in TLE hippocampi; VIP immunoreactivity patterns remained unchanged.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first demonstration of VIP and its receptor distribution in the human hippocampus.
- Elevated VIP receptor binding in TLE seizure foci may enhance neuronal excitability.
- Increased VIP receptor levels could potentially contribute to neuronal survival under seizure conditions.
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