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Hippocampal Kindling Leads to Motor Map Expansion
Author(s) -
Van Rooyen Francine,
Young Nicole A.,
Larson Sarah E. M.,
Teskey G. Campbell
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
epilepsia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.687
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1528-1167
pISSN - 0013-9580
DOI - 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00604.x
Subject(s) - neocortex , forelimb , neuroscience , hippocampal formation , hippocampus , kindling , psychology , motor area , microstimulation , epilepsy , stimulation
Summary: Purpose: To determine whether seizure activity, repeatedly elicited in the hippocampus, could alter the functional organization of neocortical movement representations (motor maps) and whether a relation exists between the number of afterdischarges recorded in the sensorimotor neocortex and the size of the motor maps. Methods: We electrically kindled the right ventral hippocampus of Long–Evans hooded rats, twice daily, for 40 sessions and recorded the afterdischarges in the stimulated hippocampus and right sensorimotor neocortex. Between 3 and 7 days after the last seizure, we used high‐resolution intracortical microstimulation to derive the forelimb‐movement representations in the left (un‐implanted) sensorimotor neocortex. Results: In the hippocampal kindled rats, we observed a dramatic expansion of the area of neocortex that would elicit forelimb movements compared with sham‐kindled controls. The number of afterdischarges recorded in the neocortex was significantly and positively correlated with the size of the motor maps. Conclusions: Seizures propagating from the hippocampus have long‐distance effects on the functional organization of motor maps.