Transcranial photobiomodulation attenuates pentylenetetrazole-induced status epilepticus in peripubertal rats

Abstract

Convulsive status epilepticus is the most common neurological emergency in children. Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) reverses elevated rodent neurotransmitters after status epilepticus (SE) yet whether tPBM can attenuate seizure behaviors remains unknown. Here, we applied near-infrared laser at wavelength 808 nm transcranially to peripubertal Sprague-Dawley rats prior to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) injection. Hematoxylin-eosin, immunofluorescence (IF) staining with anti-parvalbumin (PV) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay after IF staining was performed. Behaviorally, tPBM attenuated the mean seizure score and reduced the incidence of SE and mortality. Histochemically, tPBM reduced dark neurons in the cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and hypothalamus, lessened the apoptotic ratio of parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV-INs) and alleviated the aberrant extent of PV-positive unstained somata of PCs in the hippocampus. Conclusively, tPBM attenuated PTZ-induced seizures, SE and mortality in peripubertal rats and reduced PTZ-induced neuronal injury, apoptosis of PV-INs and preserved PV positive perisomatic inhibitory network in the hippocampus.

Keywords: PTZ; apoptosis; hippocampus; parvalbumin-positive interneurons; seizures; transcranial photobiomodulation.