Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Human epileptic astrocytes exhibit increased gap junction coupling

S H Lee1, S Magge, D D Spencer

  • 1Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Glia
|October 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Imaging of Neuromodulation and Surgical Interventions for Epilepsy.

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology·2021
Same author

Development and implementation of a scalable and versatile test for COVID-19 diagnostics in rural communities.

Nature communications·2021
Same author

Clinical Neuroscience in Practice: An Experiential Learning Course for Undergraduates Offered by Neurosurgeons and Neuroscientists.

Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience·2018
Same author

AUGMENTED INLINE-BASED NAVIGATION FOR STEREOTACTIC IMAGE GUIDED NEUROSURGERY.

Proceedings. IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging·2013
Same author

Metabolic networks in epilepsy by MR spectroscopic imaging.

Acta neurologica Scandinavica·2012
Same author

Selective homonuclear polarization transfer for spectroscopic imaging of GABA at 7T.

Magnetic resonance in medicine·2012
Same journal

A Super-Resolution Approach for Astrocyte-Specific Molecular Imaging Reveals the Nanoscale Distribution of Monoacylglycerol Lipase, the Metabolic Node Between Endocannabinoid and Prostaglandin Signaling.

Glia·2026
Same journal

Blocking CK2α-Bclaf1 Preserves Oligodendrocytes After Neonatal Hypoxic Injury.

Glia·2026
Same journal

Molecular Characteristics and Differentiation Control Mechanisms of Bergmann Glia-Like Progenitors in the Postnatal Mouse Cerebellum.

Glia·2026
Same journal

Alzheimer's Protection by PLCγ2 Compacts Plaques, Redistributes Microglia, and Protects Synapses in App<sup>NL</sup> <sup>-G-F</sup> Mice.

Glia·2026
Same journal

Single-Nucleus Multiomic Analysis Reveals Immune-Metabolic Reprogramming Consistent With Maladaptive Trained Immunity in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders.

Glia·2026
Same journal

Plasma Membrane Remodeling During Microglial Activation: A Hypothesis Linking Microglial Shape and Lipid Droplet Formation.

Glia·2026
See all related articles

Intractable epilepsy may involve altered astrocyte gap junction coupling. Studies using Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) in epilepsy patient tissues revealed increased glial coupling in hyperexcitable areas.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Epilepsy Research

Background:

  • Astrocytes play crucial roles in neuronal function and network stability.
  • Glial gap junctions facilitate intercellular communication between astrocytes.
  • Dysregulation of astrocyte networks is implicated in neurological disorders like epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate astrocyte gap junction coupling in tissues from epilepsy patients.
  • To compare glial coupling in normal versus hyperexcitable brain regions.
  • To determine if altered gap junction coupling is associated with intractable epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) was employed to quantify astrocyte gap junction coupling.
  • Tissues were surgically resected from epilepsy patients, including mesial temporal lobe and cortical tumor cases.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Primary astrocyte cultures were established from resected tissues representing normal, hyperexcitable, and tumor-associated regions.

    • Main Results:

    • Cells from hyperexcitable cortex surrounding astrocytomas and parahippocampus surrounding the hippocampus exhibited increased glutamate-induced Ca2+ oscillations and intercellular Ca2+ waves.
    • Gap-junction coupling was significantly more pronounced in cells from hyperexcitable tissues compared to normal tissues.
    • Faster and more complete fluorescence recovery in FRAP assays indicated enhanced glial coupling in epilepsy-associated tissues.

    Conclusions:

    • Intractable epilepsy may be associated with significant alterations in glial gap junction coupling.
    • Enhanced astrocyte coupling in hyperexcitable regions suggests a potential compensatory or pathological mechanism.
    • These findings highlight the role of astrocyte networks in the pathophysiology of intractable epilepsy.