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Kainate administered to adult zebrafish causes seizures similar to those in rodent models
Author(s) -
Alfaro Juan M.,
RipollGómez Jorge,
Burgos Javier S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07622.x
Subject(s) - kainate receptor , dnqx , excitotoxicity , kainic acid , neuroscience , glutamate receptor , nmda receptor , epilepsy , ampa receptor , zebrafish , clonus , biology , glutamatergic , receptor , biochemistry , gene
Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system in vertebrates. Excitotoxicity, caused by over‐stimulation of the glutamate receptors, is a major cause of neuron death in several brain diseases, including epilepsy. We describe here how behavioural seizures can be triggered in adult zebrafish by the administration of kainate and are very similar to those observed in rodent models. Kainate induced a dose‐dependent sequence of behavioural changes culminating in clonus‐like convulsions. Behavioural seizures were suppressed by DNQX (6,7‐dinitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione) dose‐dependently, whilst MK‐801 (a non‐competitive NMDA receptor antagonist) had a lesser effect. Kainate triggers seizures in adult zebrafish, and thus this species can be considered as a new model for studying seizures and subsequent excitotoxic brain injury.