Brain damage and resultant dystonic movement disorders continue to be major complications of bilirubin toxicity despite advances in the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice) in newborns. In response to Program Announcement PA-02-156, """"""""Studies into the causes and mechanisms of dystonia,"""""""" we will use a classic animal model, the jaundiced Gunn rat, to systematically investigate the pathophysiology of this secondary dystonia and its relationship with development. The overall goal of the current project is to understand the localization and pathophysiology of dystonia secondary to neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in order to better treat this severe dystonic form of cerebral palsy. Classic kernicterus with dystonia, """"""""athetoid cerebral palsy,"""""""" oculomotor and auditory impairments, as well as more subtle bilirubin-induced neurodevelopmental disabilities, have recently re-emerged due in part to the earlier discharge of newborns from hospitals. After focusing previously on the effect of bilirubin on the auditory nervous system in the Gunn rat model of bilirubin encephalopathy, we now propose to characterize the dystonic movement disorder of kernicterus in this model using behavioral analyses, anatomy and immunohistochemistry, electromyography, and intracranial microelectrode recordings from deep brain nuclei. We will relate our studies of dystonia to measures of bilirubin and to brainstem auditory evoked potentials, a sensitive, noninvasive electrophysiological measure of bilirubin toxicity. We will use standard histological techniques of injury and cell death including TUNEL and caspase 3 staining for apoptosis, and unbiased stereology to determine neuronal cell loss, and microelectrode recordings in the basal ganglia to explore our hypotheses regarding the neurophysiological basis of dystonia in this model. Finally, we will investigate stereotactic and microelectrode guided targeting of basal ganglia areas for ablative surgical treatment. The findings from the proposed research should lead to new insights into the pathophysiology and treatment of secondary kernicteric dystonia and other secondary dystonias in humans.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01NS047151-01A1
Application #
6821294
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-DBD (01))
Program Officer
Tagle, Danilo A
Project Start
2004-08-20
Project End
2008-07-31
Budget Start
2004-08-20
Budget End
2005-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$242,813
Indirect Cost
Name
Virginia Commonwealth University
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
105300446
City
Richmond
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
23298
Chaniary, Kunal D; Baron, Mark S; Robinson, Pete et al. (2011) A novel stereotaxic apparatus for neuronal recordings in awake head-restrained rats. J Neurosci Methods 198:29-35
Chaniary, Kunal D; Baron, Mark S; Rice, Ann C et al. (2009) Quantification of gait in dystonic Gunn rats. J Neurosci Methods 180:273-7
Chaniary, Kunal; Baron, Mark; Rice, Ann et al. (2008) Electromyographic characterization in an animal model of dystonia. Mov Disord 23:1122-9
Shapiro, Steven M; Sombati, Sompong; Geiger, Angela et al. (2007) NMDA channel antagonist MK-801 does not protect against bilirubin neurotoxicity. Neonatology 92:248-57
Rice, Ann C; Shapiro, Steven M (2006) Biliverdin-induced brainstem auditory evoked potential abnormalities in the jaundiced Gunn rat. Brain Res 1107:215-21