GluN2C selective inhibition is a target to develop new antiepileptic compounds.

OBJECTIVE: Many early-onset epilepsies present as developmental and epileptic encephalopathy associated with refractory seizures, altered psychomotor development, and disorganized interictal cortical activity. Abnormal upregulation of specific N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) subunits is being disentangled as one of the mechanisms of severe early-onset epilepsies. In tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), upregulation of the GluN2C subunit of the NMDA-R with slow deactivation kinetic results in increased neuronal excitation and synchronization. METHODS: Starting from an available GluN2C/D antagonist, NMDA-R-modulating compounds were developed and screened using a patch clamp on neuronal culture to select those with the strongest inhibitory effect on glutamatergic NMDA currents. For these selected compounds, blood pharmacokinetics and passage through the blood-brain barrier were studied. We tested the effect of the most promising compounds on epileptic activity in Tsc1+/- mice brain slices with multielectrode array, and then in vivo at postnatal ages P14-P17, comparable with the usual age at epilepsy onset in human TSC. RESULTS: Using a double-electrode voltage clamp on isolated NMDA currents, we identified the most prominent antagonists of the GluN2C subunit with no effect on GluN2A as a means of preventing side effects. The best compound passing through the blood-brain barrier was selected. Applied in vivo in six Tsc1+/- mice at P14-P17, this compound reduced or completely stopped spontaneous seizures in four of them, and decreased the background activity disorganization. Furthermore, ictal-like discharges stopped on a human brain sample from an infant with epilepsy due to TSC. INTERPRETATION: Subunit-selective inhibition is a valuable target for developing drugs for severe epilepsies resulting from an upregulation of NMDA-R subunit-mediated transmission.

Epilepsy in young Tsc1(+/-) mice exhibits age-dependent expression that mimics that of human tuberous sclerosis complex.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epileptic phenotype of Tsc1(+/-) mice pups in comparison with age-related seizures in human tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). METHODS: Tsc1(+/-) and control mice underwent intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) recording at postnatal ages (P)8 to P33, with linear silicon probe implanted in the somatosensory cortex of one or both hemispheres for 8-24 h. Ictal events were classified visually by independent analyzers; distinct EEG patterns were related to age and analyzed to quantify field potential characteristics and signal dynamics between hemispheres. We collected retrospectively 20 infants with prenatally diagnosed TSC and EEG before seizure onset, and analyzed the electroclinical course of epilepsy, taking into account a first-line treatment by vigabatrin. RESULTS: Spontaneous seizures were disclosed in 55% of Tsc1(+/-) mice at P9-18. Three ictal patterns were identified: from P9 to P12 "spike clusters" consisted of recurring large spikes without clinical correlate; "spasm-like" discharges dominated from P13 to P16 consisting of high amplitude large field potential superimposed with or followed by fast activity repeated every 2-10 s for at least 20 s, accompanied by rhythmic limb contractions; from P14 to P18 a "tonic-clonic like" pattern comprised rhythmic spikes of increasing amplitude with tonic-clonic movements. Early onset "spike clusters" were mainly unilateral, whereas "spasm-like" and "tonic-clonic like" patterns were bilateral. Interhemispheric propagation was significantly faster for "tonic-clonic like" than for "spasm-like" events. In infants diagnosed prenatally with TSC, clusters of sharp waves or spikes preceded the first seizure, and vigabatrin prevented the development of seizures. Patients treated after seizure onset developed spasms or focal seizures that were pharmacoresistant in 66.7% of cases. SIGNIFICANCE: Tsc1(+/-) mice pups exhibit an age-dependent seizure pattern sequence mimicking early human TSC epilepsy features. Spike clusters before seizure onset in TSC should be considered as a first stage of epilepsy reinforcing the concept of preventive antiepileptic therapy.