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Step Regulation Of Seizure Thresholds In The Hippocampus, Janice R. Naegele

Janice R Naegele

Purpose:  To investigate whether striatal enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) influences ictogenesis. Methods:  STEP knockout mice were compared to wild-type (WT) mice in pilocarpine-induced seizures. Hippocampal slices were also prepared from these two mouse populations, allowing the examination of ictal-like stimulation in these slices using calcium imaging and electrophysiologic recordings. Key Findings:  To examine seizure thresholds, increasing doses of pilocarpine were administered to adult mice and seizures were scored behaviorally. Significantly fewer STEP knockout mice developed seizures that progressed to the stage of status epilepticus compared to WT mice. To examine potential differences in neural circuits that might account for …