Microdialysis of Excitatory Amino Acids During EEG Recordings in Freely Moving Rats

Summary

Here, we describe a method for in vivo microdialysis to analyze aspartate and glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus of epileptic and non-epileptic rats, in combination with EEG recordings. Extracellular concentrations of aspartate and glutamate may be correlated with the different phases of the disease.

Abstract

Microdialysis is a well-established neuroscience technique that correlates the changes of neurologically active substances diffusing into the brain interstitial space with the behavior and/or with the specific outcome of a pathology (e.g., seizures for epilepsy). When studying epilepsy, the microdialysis technique is often combined with short-term or even long-term video-electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring to assess spontaneous seizure frequency, severity, progression and clustering. The combined microdialysis-EEG is based on the use of several methods and instruments. Here, we performed in vivo microdialysis and continuous video-EEG recording to monitor glutamate and aspartate outflow over time, in different phases of the natural history of epilepsy in a rat model. This combined approach allows the pairing of changes in the neurotransmitter release with specific stages of the disease development and progression. The amino acid concentration in the dialysate was determined by liquid chromatography. Here, we describe the methods and outline the principal precautionary measures one should take during in vivo microdialysis-EEG, with particular attention to the stereotaxic surgery, basal and high potassium stimulation during microdialysis, depth electrode EEG recording and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of aspartate and glutamate in the dialysate. This approach may be adapted to test a variety of drug or disease induced changes of the physiological concentrations of aspartate and glutamate in the brain. Depending on the availability of an appropriate analytical assay, it may be further used to test different soluble molecules when employing EEG recording at the same time.

Introduction

To provide insight into the functional impairment of glutamate-mediated excitatory and GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission resulting in spontaneous seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE),we systematically monitored extracellular concentrations of GABA¹ and later the levels of glutamate and aspartate² by microdialysis in the ventral hippocampus of rats at various time-points of the disease natural course, i.e., during development and progression of epilepsy. We took advantage of the TLE pilocarpine model in rats, which mimics the disease very accurately in terms of behavioral, electrophysiological and histop....

Protocol

All experimental procedures have been approved by the University of Ferrara Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and by the Italian Ministry of Health (authorization: D.M. 246/2012-B) in accordance with guidelines outlined in the European Communities Council Directive of 24 November 1986 (86/609/EEC). This protocol is specifically adjusted for glutamate and aspartate determination in rat brain dialysates obtained under EEG control of microdialysis sessions in epileptic and non-epileptic rats. Many of the materials.......

Discussion

In this work, we show how a continuous video-EEG recording coupled with microdialysis can be performed in an experimental model of TLE. Video-EEG recording techniques are used to correctly diagnose the different phases of the disease progression in animals and the microdialysis technique is used to describe the changes in glutamate release that occur in time (no changes have been found for aspartate in a previously published study²). We strongly recommend the use of a single device/implant to perf.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
3-channel two-twisted electrode	Invivo1, Plastic One, Roanoke, Virginia, USA	MS333/3-B/SPC	Material
guide cannula	Agn Tho's, Lindigö, Sweden	MAB 4.15.IC	Material
Resin KK2 Plastik	Elettra Sport, Lecco, Italy	KK2	Material
Super Attack gel Loctite	Henkel Italia Srl, Milano, Italy	2047420_71941	Material
Imalgene-Ketamine	Merial, Toulouse, France	221300288 (AIC)	Solution
Xylazine	Sigma, Milano, Italy	X1251	Material
Isoflurane-Vet	Merial, Toulouse, France	103120022 (AIC)	Solution
Altadol 50 mg/ ml - tramadol	Formevet, Milano, Italy	103703017 (AIC)	Solution
Gentalyn 0.1% crm - gentamycine	MSD Italia, Roma, Italy	20891077 (AIC)	Material
simplex rapid dental cement	Kemdent, Associated Dental Products Ltd, Swindon, United Kingdom	ACR811	Material
GlasIonomer CX-Plus Cement	Shofu, Kyoto, Japan	PN1167	Material
probe clip holder	Agn Tho's, Lindigö, Sweden	p/n 100 5001	Equipment
Histoacryl® Blue Topical Skin Adhesive	TissueSeal, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA	TS1050044FP	Material
Valium 10 mg/2 ml - diazepam	Roche, Monza, Italy	019995063 (AIC)	Material
1 mL syringe with 25G needle	Vetrotecnica, Padova, Italy	11.3500.05	Material
rat flexible feeding needle 17G	Agn Tho's, Lindigö Sweden	7206	Material
Grass Technology apparatus	Grass Technologies, Natus Neurology Incorporated, Pleasanton, California, USA	M665G08	Equipment (AS40 amplifier, head box, interconnecting cables, telefactor model RPSA S40)
modular data acquisition and analysis system MP150	Biopac, Goleta, California, USA	MP150WSW	Equipment
digital video surveillance system	AverMedia Technologies, Fremont, California, USA	V4.7.0041FD	Equipment
microdialysis probe	Agn Tho's, Lindigö Sweden	MAB 4.15.1.Cu	Material
microdialysis probe	Synaptech, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA	S-8010	Material
block heater	Grant Instruments, Cambridge, England	QBD2	Equipment
stirrer	Cecchinato A, Aparecchi Scientifici, Mestre, Italy	711	Equipment
infusion pump	Univentor, Zejtun, Malta	864	Equipment
fine bore polythene tubing	Smiths Medical International Ltd., Keene, New Hampshire, USA	800/100/100/100	Material
blue tubing adapters	Agn Tho's, Lindigö Sweden	1002	Material
red tubing adapters	Agn Tho's, Lindigö Sweden	1003	Material
2.5 mL syringe with 22G needle	Chemil, Padova, Italy	S02G22	Material
vial cap	Cronus, Labicom, Olomouc, Czech Republic	VCA-1004TB-100	Material
septum	Thermo Scientific, Rockwoood, Tennessee, USA	National C4013-60 8 mm TEF/SIL septum	Material
glass insert with bottom spring	Supelco, Sigma, Milano, Italy	27400-U	Material
autosampler vial	National Scientific, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Monza, Italy	C4013-2	Material
Smartline manager 5000 system controller and degasser unit	Knauer, Berlin, Germany	V7602	Equipment
Smartline 1000 quaternary gradient pump	Knauer, Berlin, Germany	V7603	Equipment
spectrofluorometric detector	Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan	RF-551	Equipment
chromatogrphic column	Knauer, Berlin, Germany	25EK181EBJ	Material
chromatogrphic pre-column	Knauer, Berlin, Germany	P5DK181EBJ	Material
mobile phase solution A	0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.0		Solution
mobile phase solution B	40% 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, 30% methanol, 30% acetonitrile, pH 6.5		Solution
Ringer solution	composition in mM: MgCl2 0.85, KCl 2.7, NaCl 148, CaCl2 1.2, 0.3% BSA		Solution
modified Ringer solution	composition in mM: MgCl2 0.85, KCl 100, NaCl 50.7, CaCl2 1.2, 0.3% BSA		Solution
saline	0.9% NaCl, ph adjusted to 7.0		Solution
sucrose solution	10% sucrose in distilled water		Solution