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Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) are involved in neuronal excitability, neurogenesis, and neuroinflammation. However, the roles of GRs and MRs in epilepsy in focal cortical dysplasia II (FCDII) have not been reported.We evaluated GRs and MRs expression and distribution in FCDII patients and methylazoxymethanol-pilocarpine-induced epilepsy model rats (MP rats), and the effects of a GR agonist on neurons in human FCDII and investigated the electrophysiological properties of rats' neurons after lentivirus-mediated GR knockdown or overexpression and GR agonist or antagonist administration.GR expression (not MR) was decreased in specimens from FCDII patients and model rats. GR agonist dexamethasone reduced neuronal excitatory transmission and increased neuronal inhibitory transmission in FCDII. GR knockdown increased the excitability of cultured neurons, and GR overexpression rescued the hyperexcitability of MP-treated neurons. Moreover, dexamethasone decreased neuronal excitability and excitatory transmission in MP rats, while GR antagonist exerted the opposite effects. Dexamethasone reduced the seizure number and duration by approximately 85% and 60% in MP rats within one to two hours.These results suggested that GRs play an important role in epilepsy in FCDII and GR activation may have protective and antiepileptic effects in FCDII.

Background Focal cortical dysplasia IIb (FCDIIb) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) show the persistent neuroinflammation which promote epileptogenesis and epilepsy progression, suggesting that endogenous resolution of inflammation is inadequate to relieve neuronal network hyperexcitability. To explore the potential roles of formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2), which is a key regulator of inflammation resolution, in epilepsy in FCDIIb and TSC. We examined the expression and cellular distribution of FPR2, and the effect of FPR2 signal pathway on the neuronal excitability. Method The expression of FPR2 and NF-κB signal pathway were examined by real-time PCR, western blots and analyzed via one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The distribution of FPR2 was detected using immunostaining. The expression of resolvin D1(RvD1, the endogenous ligand of FPR2)was observed via ELISA. The calcium imaging was used to measure intracellular calcium concentrations in FPR2-affected rat cortical neurons. The effects of FPR2 on the electrophysiological properties of neurons was detected by the Whole-cell patch clamp recording. The Pearsoncorrelation test was used to evaluate the relation between the expression of FPR2, RvD1 and clinical variants. Results The expression of FPR2 and resolvin D1 (RvD1) were significantly lower in FCDⅡb and TSC cortical lesions than the controls and was negatively correlated with seizure frequency; specially, in dysplastic neurons; but, FPR2 was sparse in microglia and nearly absent in astrocytes. Further, NF-κB pathway activity was upregulated in FCDⅡb and TSC and restricted by the RvD1-FPR2, but FPR2 antagonist, WRW4 exerted the opposite effects. Beyond that, RvD1-FPR2 reduced [Ca2+] influx of cortical neurons, but WRW4 increased intracellular [Ca2+]i. Importantly, RvD1-FPR2 also regulated the neuronal excitability through reducing the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) with NR2A and NR2B decrease. However, both the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSC) of cortical neurons were not affected by RvD1 or WRW4 treatment. Conclusion In summary, these results suggest that the FPR2 was involved in epilepsy caused by FCDⅡb and TSC and FPR2 activation may contribute to control the epilepsy in FCDⅡb and TSC.

Focal cortical dysplasia type IIb (FCDIIb) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are typical causes of developmental delay and refractory epilepsy. G‐protein‐coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) is a specific estrogen receptor that is critical in neurodevelopment, neuroinflammation, and neuronal excitability, suggesting that it plays a potential role in the epilepsy of patients with FCDIIb and TSC. Therefore, we investigated the role of GPR30 in patients with FCDIIb and TSC. We found that the expression of GPR30 and its downstream protein kinase A (PKA) pathway were decreased and negatively correlated with seizure frequency in female patients with FCDIIb and TSC, but not in male patients. GPR30 was widely distributed in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, and its downregulation was especially notable in microglia. The GPR30 agonist G‐1 increased the expression of PKA and p‐PKA in cultured cortical neurons, and the GPR30 antagonist G‐15 exhibited the opposite effects of G‐1. The NF‐κB signaling pathway was also activated in the specimens of female patients with FCDIIb and TSC, and was regulated by G‐1 and G‐15 in cultured cortical neurons. We also found that GPR30 regulated cortical neuronal excitability by altering the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and the expression of NR2A/B. Further, the relationship between GPR30 and glycometabolism was evaluated by analyzing the correlations between GPR30 and 18F‐FDG PET‐CT values (standardized uptake values, SUVs). Positive correlations between GPR30 and SUVs were found in female patients, but not in male patients. Intriguingly, GPR30 expression and SUVs were significantly decreased in the epileptogenic tubers of female TSC patients, and ROC curves indicated that SUVs could predict the localization of epileptogenic tubers. Taken together, our results suggest a potential protective effect of GPR30 in the epileptogenesis of female patients with FCDIIb and TSC.

Epilepsy is a highly prevalent and drug-refractory neurological disorder characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures. Estrogen is identified to be proconvulsant and lowers the seizure threshold of female epilepsy. Estrogen receptor β (ERβ) has been proposed to mediate neuroprotection in epilepsy, although the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Rationale: In this study, we investigated the role of ERβ in the epileptogenesis of female temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods: Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blots, Golgi staining, 1H MRS and whole-cell patch-clamp were used to evaluate ERβ expression, pathological changes, and synaptic excitation /inhibition (E/I) balance in female TLE patients and ovariectomized (OVX) chronic epileptic mice. Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were recorded to evaluate the epileptic susceptibility in OVX WT and ERβ-/- mice. And high-throughput RNA-sequence was performed to identify differential expression genes (DEGs) which can elucidate the potential mechanism of ERβ regulating the seizure susceptibility. Results: ERβ expression was decreased in the brains of female TLE patients and OVX chronic epileptic mice. ERβ deletion enhanced seizure susceptibility and exacerbated the imbalance of synaptic E/I in hippocampal CA1 area of OVX epileptic mice. In line with these observations, RNA-sequence data further identified glutamine ligase (GLUL) as the target of ERβ involved in regulating synaptic E/I in CA1. Furthermore, ERβ agonist WAY-200070 markedly suppressed epileptic phenotypes and normalized GLUL expression in CA1 region of kainic acid (KA) induced OVX chronic epileptic model. Conclusions: Our data provide novel insight into the pathogenesis of female TLE, and indicate ERβ provides a new therapeutic strategy for female TLE patients.

Focal cortical dysplasia IIb (FCDIIb) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are classic pathological forms of refractory epilepsy. Increasing evidence has shown that inflammation resolution plays an important role in epilepsy. G-protein coupled formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) resolves inflammation and promotes neurodevelopment by binding with resolvin D1 (RvD1), which indicates that FPR2 may be involved in epilepsy associated with FCDIIb and TSC. In this study, the expression of FPR2 and RvD1 was decreased in the epileptogenic focus and was negatively correlated with seizure frequency in FCDIIb and TSC patients. FPR2 was more widely distributed in neurons and microglia than astrocytes. Moreover, the expression levels of the RvD1 synthases 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and 15-LOX were decreased in the context of FCDIIb and TSC. Activation of the NF-κB pathway in an vitro epilepsy model was inhibited by FPR2 activation using RvD1, but the FPR2 antagonist WRW4 exerted the opposite effect. Taken together, our results showed that the decreases in RvD1 and FPR2 were involved in FCDIIb and TSC with epilepsy and that FPR2 activation mediated by RvD1 contributed to inhibiting the inflammatory signaling pathway, suggesting that FPR2 activation may have a potential antiepileptic effect by restricting neuroinflammation in FCDIIb and TSC.

BackgroundA hallmark of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is brain inflammation accompanied by neuronal demise. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that Rev-Erbα is involved in regulating neuroinflammation and determining the fate of neurons. Therefore, we studied the expression and cellular distribution of Rev-Erbα in the epileptogenic zone of TLE and the effect of treatment with the Rev-Erbα specific agonist SR9009 in the pilocarpine model.MethodsThe expression pattern of Rev-Erbα was investigated by western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence labeling in patients with TLE. Next, the effects of SR9009 on neuroinflammation, neuronal apoptosis, and neuronal loss in the mouse hippocampus 7 days after status epilepticus (SE) were assessed by western blotting, immunofluorescence labeling staining, and TUNEL staining.ResultsThe western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence labeling results revealed that Rev-Erbα was downregulated in the epileptogenic zone of TLE patients and mainly localized in neurons, astrocytes, and presumably microglia. Meanwhile, the expression of Rev-Erbα was decreased in the hippocampus and temporal neocortex of mice treated with pilocarpine in the early post-SE and chronic phases. Interestingly, the expression of Rev-Erbα in the normal hippocampus showed a 24-h rhythm; however, the rhythmicity was disturbed in the early phase after SE, and this disturbance was still present in epileptic animals. Our further findings revealed that treatment with SR9009 inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation, inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and TNF-α) production, astrocytosis, microgliosis, and neuronal damage in the hippocampus after SE.ConclusionsTaken together, these results suggested that a decrease in Rev-Erbα in the epileptogenic zone may contribute to the process of TLE and that the activation of Rev-Erbα may have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects.

In these proceedings, we present the measurements of e+e− pair production at very low transverse momentum in 4496Ru + 4496Ru and 4096Zr + 4096Zr collisions at √SNN = 200 GeV by the STAR experiment. The electromagnetic field dependence of photon-induced production is studied for the first time, via comparisons between the measurements in isobaric collisions to the published results in Au+Au and U+U collisions. Taken the initial electromagnetic field dependence into account, the excess yield of e+e− pair production shows an impact parameter dependence. The results are also compared to model calculations based on EPA-QED, which describe the observed excess yields for different collision species.

In this contribution, we present the measurements of inclusive $J/\psi$ production at midrapidity ($\left|y\right|$ < 1.0) in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 54.4$ GeV by the STAR experiment. The dependences of nuclear modification factor ($R_{\rm{AA}}$) on centrality and transverse momentum are measured with improved precision compared to previous measurements at 39 and 62.4 GeV. Combining newly measured $R_{\rm{AA}}$ of $J/\psi$ at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}} = 54.4$ GeV and previous results at SPS, RHIC, and LHC energies, no significant energy dependence of $R_{\rm{AA}}$ is found within uncertainties up to 200 GeV. The comparision to model calculations is presented and its physical implications are discussed.

Background Cortical dysplasia (CD) is a common cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. Increasingly, innate immunity is involved in CD with epilepsy. However, it is unclear whether innate immune factors contribute to induce epileptogenic CD. Here, we injected recombinant human HMGB1 (rHMGB1) into the embryonic rat ventricle to determine whether rHMGB1 can induce epileptogenic CD with pathophysiological characteristics similar to those of human CD.Methods At gestational day 14.5, rHMGB1 was injected into the ventricles of Sprague Dawley (SD) rat embryos. At 2 months postnatal, the effects of rHMGB1 on cortex construction were examined by Nissl staining; the alterations of nerve tissue were detected using immunostaining. At 3 months postnatal, the susceptibility and severity of pilocarpine-induced seizures and the spontaneous epileptic discharges were evaluated by EEG. Open-field tests, novel object recognition tests, and Morris water maze tests were performed to observe the behavior of rHMGB1-treated rats.Results The results showed cortical organization was severely disrupted in the rHMGB1-treated rats, and microgyria and heterotopia also emerged; additionally, disoriented neurons, dysmorphic neurons, and dysplastic neurons were found in the cortical lesions and heterotopias. Subcortical heterotopia also appeared in the white matter and the gray-white junction of the rHMGB1-treated rats. Moreover, the numbers of neurons and astrocytes were increased in the cortical lesions; the neuronal dendrites were thickened, randomly oriented, and frequently crossed each other. Moreover, the immunoreactivity of NR2A, NR2B, NR1, GAD65/67, EAAT1 and EAAT2 indicated that the excitation of cortical lesions and heterotopia were significantly increased. Furthermore, EEG showed more susceptibility and severity of seizures in rHMGB1-treatment rats compared with the control rats. Intriguingly, spontaneous nonepileptic seizure discharges were also detected in the rHMGB1-treated rats after 5 months of age, and spike-wave discharges of approximately 8 Hz were the most significantly increased synchronously propagated waves throughout the general brain cortex.Conclusions These results indicated that rHMGB1 exposure during pregnancy can modify the cerebral structure of offspring, which results in increased susceptibility to seizures and mimics the pathophysiological characteristics of human CD. Those results suggested that HMGB1 upregulation resulting from various insults could contribute to the development of epileptogenic CD during pregnancy.

Cortical tubers in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are highly associated with intractable epilepsy. Recent evidence suggests a close relationship between FGF13 and seizures. To understand the role of FGF13 in the pathogenesis of cortical tubers, we investigated the expression pattern of FGF13 in cortical tubers of TSC compared with normal control cortices (CTX). We found that both the mRNA and protein levels of FGF13 were significantly higher in the cortical tubers from patients with TSC than in the control cortices. The immunohistochemical results showed strong FGF13 immunoreactivity in abnormal cells, including dysplastic neurons (DNs) and giant cells (GCs). Moreover, double-label immunofluorescence analyses confirmed that FGF13 was mainly localized in neurons and nearly absent in glia-like cells. The protein levels of FGF13 in the TSC samples were positively correlated with the frequency of seizures before surgery. Taken together, these results suggest that the overexpression and distribution pattern of FGF13 may be related to intractable epilepsy caused by TSC.

Focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs) are well recognized as important causes of medically intractable epilepsy in both children and adults. To explore the potential role of fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13) in intractable epilepsy caused by FCDs, we examined the expression of FGF13 in cortical lesions from 23 patients with FCD type Ia (FCDIa), 24 patients with FCD type IIa (FCDIIa), and 12 patients with FCD type IIb (FCDIIb), and we compared the results with the FGF13 expression levels in control cortex (CTX) brain tissues from 12 nonepileptic normal subjects. Both the mRNA levels and protein levels of FGF13 were significantly higher in the cortical lesions from patients with FCD than in the control cortices. The immunohistochemical results showed that strong FGF13 immunoreactivity was observed in misshapen cells, including neuronal microcolumns, hypertrophic neurons, dysmorphic neurons, and most balloon cells. Moreover, double-label immunofluorescence analyses confirmed that FGF13 was mainly localized in neurons and nearly absent in glia-like cells. Taken together, our results suggest that the overexpression of FGF13 in FCDs and the cell-specific distribution patterns of FGF13 in misshapen neurons in FCDs could potentially contribute to intractable epilepsy caused by FCDs.

Background Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common intractable epilepsy in adults, and elucidation of the underlying pathological mechanisms is needed. Voltage-gated chloride channels (ClC) play diverse physiological roles in neurons. However, less is known regarding their functions in the epilepogenesis of TLE. Methods ClC-mediated current and the spontaneous inhibitory synaptic currents (sIPSC) in hippocampal neurons of epileptic lesions were investigated by electrophysiological recording. The EEG data were analyzed by Z-scored wavelet and Fourier transformations. The expression of ClC-3, a member of ClC gene family, was detected by immunostaining and western blot. Findings ClC-mediated current was increased in the hippocampal neurons of chronic TLE mice. Application of chloride channel blockers, NPPB (5-Nitro-2- [3-phenylpropylamino] benzoic acid) and DIDS (4,4’-Diisothiocyanato-2,2’-stilbenedisulfonic acid disodium salt) reduced ClC-mediated current and increased inhibitory synaptic transmission in TLE mice. NPPB and DIDS reduced the seizure frequency and the average absolute power of ictal high-frequency oscillations (HFOs, 80-500 Hz) in TLE mice. In addition, both drugs induced outwardly rectified currents, which might be tonic inhibitory currents in the hippocampal neurons of TLE patients. Furthermore, the expression of ClC-3 was increased in the hippocampus of TLE mice and patients and positively correlated with both the absolute power and number of ictal HFOs per seizure in the sclerotic hippocampus. Interpretation These data suggest that ClC participate in the epilepogenetic process of TLE and the inhibition of ClC may have anti-epileptic effect. Funding This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81601143, No. 81771217).

The Large High-Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) is being built at Haizi Mountain, Sichuan province of China at an altitude of 4410 meters. One of its main goals is to survey the northern sky for very-high-energy gamma ray sources via its ground-based water Cherenkov detector array (WCDA). 900 8-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) CR365-02-1 from Beijing Hamamatsu Photon Techniques INC. (BHP) are installed in the WCDA, collecting Cherenkov photons produced by air shower particles crossing water. The design of the PMT base with a high dynamic range for CR365-02-1, the PMT batch test system, and the test results of 997 PMTs are presented in this paper., Comment: 23 pages, 17 figures

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is known as a common cause of chronic refractory epilepsy, but the underlying mechanisms of the factors that lead to FCD-related epilepsy are unclear. Previous studies have shown that canonical transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) might be involved in the process of epileptogenesis. Canonical transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1), which is ubiquitously expressed in the brain, has been shown to be involved in epileptiform bust firing in knockout mice. In this study, we examined the expression of TRPC1 in FCD type Ia (FCDIa), FCD type IIa (FCDIIa), and FCD type IIb (FCDIIb) surgical specimens from patients and age-matched autopsy control samples. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting indicated that TRPC1 mRNA and protein levels were increased in FCDIa, FCDIIa, and FCDIIb samples compared to control samples. Immunohistochemistry results revealed that TRPC1 was mainly distributed in microcolumns, dysmorphic neurons, and balloon cells. Further double immunofluorescent staining showed that TRPC1 was co-localized with glutamatergic and GABAergic markers. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the overexpression and specific cellular location of TRPC1 might be related to the epileptogenesis of FCD.