Synaptic remodeling is one of the most common pathological changes after epileptic seizures. Ectopic synaptic reconstruction in the hippocampus is considered to be closely related with temporal lobe epilepsy. Mossy fiber sprouting may trigger synaptic connections or synaptic remodeling in hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells, which could lead to the formation of excitatory synaptic circuits, thereby increasing epileptic susceptibility. Exogenous neuropeptide Y has antiepileptic effects; however, the underlying mechanism and optimal administration method for neuropeptide Y are still unresolved. Previous studies have used intracerebroventricular injection of neuropeptide Y into animal models of epilepsy. Dr. Fan Zhang and team from Hebei Medical University published a relevant study in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 17, 2013) entitled "Neuropeptide Y gene transfection inhibits post-epileptic hippocampal synaptic reconstruction". These researchers found that after intracerebroventricular injection of neuropeptide Y gene, mossy fiber sprouting in the hippocampal CA3 region of epileptic rats was significantly suppressed, hippocampal synaptophysin (p38) mRNA and protein expression were inhibited, and epileptic seizures were reduced. These findings suggest that a recombinant adeno-associated virus expression vector carrying the neuropeptide Y gene reduces mossy fiber sprouting and inhibits abnormal synaptophysin expression, thereby suppressing post-epileptic synaptic reconstruction.
Source: Neural Regeneration Research