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Publications (4)9.7 Total impact

  • Article: Long-term effects of acute and of chronic hypoxia on behavior and on hippocampal histology in the developing brain.
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    ABSTRACT: Ten-day-old rat pups (P10) subjected to acute hypoxia (down to 4% O2) had as adults increased aggression (handling test), memory impairment (water maze test), and decreased CA1 cell counts. Pups subjected to chronic hypoxia (10% O2 from P0 to P21) had increased aggression, hyperactivity (open-field test), and decreased CA1 cell counts. Chronic hypoxia with superimposed acute hypoxia resulted in consequences that were not different from those of chronic hypoxia.
    Developmental Brain Research 07/2005; 157(1):98-102. · 1.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Hippocampal programmed cell death after status epilepticus: evidence for NMDA-receptor and ceramide-mediated mechanisms.
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    ABSTRACT: Status epilepticus (SE) can result in acute neuronal injury with subsequent long-term age-dependent behavioral and histologic sequelae. To investigate potential mechanisms that may underlie SE-related neuronal injury, we studied the occurrence of programmed cell death (PCD) in the hippocampus in the kainic acid (KA) model. In adult rats, KA-induced SE resulted in DNA fragmentation documented at 30 h after KA injection. Ceramide, a known mediator of PCD in multiple neural and nonneural tissues, increased at 2-3 h after KA intraperitoneal injection, and then decreased to control levels before increasing again from 12 to 30 h after injection. MK801 pretreatment prevented KA-induced increases in ceramide levels and DNA fragmentation, whether there was reduction in seizure severity or not (achieved with 5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg of MK801, respectively). Both ceramide increases and DNA fragmentation were observed after KA-induced SE in adult and in P35 rats. Ceramide did not increase after KA-induced SE in P7 pups, which also did not manifest any DNA fragmentation. Intrahippocampal injection of the active ceramide analogue C2-ceramide produced widespread DNA fragmentation, whereas the inactive ceramide analogue C2-dihydroceramide did not. Our data support the hypotheses that (a) N-methyl-d-aspartate-receptor activation results in ceramide increases and in DNA fragmentation; (b) ceramide is a mediator of PCD after SE; and (c) there are age-related differences in PCD and in the ceramide response after SE. Differences in the ceramide response could, potentially, be responsible for observed age-related differences in the response to SE.
    Epilepsia 04/2003; 44(3):282-91. · 3.96 Impact Factor
  • Article: Hippocampal Programmed Cell Death after Status Epilepticus: Evidence for NMDA‐Receptor and Ceramide‐Mediated Mechanisms
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    ABSTRACT: Purpose: Status epilepticus (SE) can result in acute neuronal injury with subsequent long-term age-dependent behavioral and histologic sequelae. To investigate potential mechanisms that may underlie SE-related neuronal injury, we studied the occurrence of programmed cell death (PCD) in the hippocampus in the kainic acid (KA) model.Methods: In adult rats, KA-induced SE resulted in DNA fragmentation documented at 30 h after KA injection. Ceramide, a known mediator of PCD in multiple neural and nonneural tissues, increased at 2–3 h after KA intraperitoneal injection, and then decreased to control levels before increasing again from 12 to 30 h after injection. MK801 pretreatment prevented KA-induced increases in ceramide levels and DNA fragmentation, whether there was reduction in seizure severity or not (achieved with 5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg of MK801, respectively).Results: Both ceramide increases and DNA fragmentation were observed after KA-induced SE in adult and in P35 rats. Ceramide did not increase after KA-induced SE in P7 pups, which also did not manifest any DNA fragmentation. Intrahippocampal injection of the active ceramide analogue C2-ceramide produced widespread DNA fragmentation, whereas the inactive ceramide analogue C2-dihydroceramide did not.Conclusions: Our data support the hypotheses that (a) N-methyl-d-aspartate–receptor activation results in ceramide increases and in DNA fragmentation; (b) ceramide is a mediator of PCD after SE; and (c) there are age-related differences in PCD and in the ceramide response after SE. Differences in the ceramide response could, potentially, be responsible for observed age-related differences in the response to SE.
    Epilepsia 03/2003; 44(3):282 - 291. · 3.96 Impact Factor
  • Article: Effects of magnesium sulfate in kainic acid-induced status epilepticus.
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    ABSTRACT: Because magnesium has antiseizure effects in some animal models of epilepsy, and possible neuroprotective effects in some models of neuronal injury, we aimed to investigate its effects in the kainic acid (KA) model of status epilepticus (SE) in prepubescent rats. This age was chosen because it is a common age for onset of epilepsy and of SE in humans. Three groups of P35 rats were studied: Group I (MgKA) received magnesium sulfate MgSO4 (270 mg/kg then 27 mg/kg every 20 minutes for 5 hours) and 10 mg/kg KA. Group II (KA) received saline instead of MgSO4 and 10 mg/kg KA. Group III (control) received saline injections only. The dose we used has been shown previously to have anticonvulsant activity in another seizure model. Rats were recorded for their acute behavioral seizures directly after KA, and underwent the handling and Morris Water Maze (MWM) tests on P96-97 and P102-106 respectively. The MgKA and the KA groups did not differ in their acute seizures and both showed similar histologic lesions in CA3/CA4 and CA1 hippocampal subfields, and were more aggressive on the handling test than control rats. The MgKA group took more time to reach the platform in MWM than controls, while the KA group scores were intermediate between the two groups. Using the dose of 540 mg/kg MgSO4 and 54 mg/kg every 20 min showed the similar result of lack of protection against impairment in long-term memory. We conclude that (1) Magnesium did not manifest acute behavioral antiseizure effects in the KA P35 model of SE. (2) Magnesium did not prevent the tested long-term behavioral and histological consequences of SE in this model.
    Le Journal médical libanais. The Lebanese medical journal 54(4):200-4.