The independent roles of hypoglycemia and seizure activity in producing neurological deficits and cognitive? impairment in children with insulin-dependent (Type I) diabetes are not completely understood. The studies? proposed will test the hypothesis that the combined insult of brain glucopenia with the added metabolic? demand of seizures produces increased neuronal death, but also structural synaptic alterations that underlie? neuronal dysfunction in the absence of cell death. The objective of this project is to develop in vivo imaging? methods to detect and observe serial changes in dendritic spines of cortical neurons following hypoglycemia? combined with seizures, to evaluate whether there are synergistic injurious effects. To examine these issues,? creation of a cranial window with a novel laser surgery technique combined with two-photon microscopy will? enable in vivo imaging of dendritic structures in YFP expressing cortical neurons serially monitored at baseline? and during hypoglycemia without and with focal seizures produced by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP).
| Yamada, Kelvin A (2008) Calorie restriction and glucose regulation. Epilepsia 49 Suppl 8:94-6 |
