Thesis supervisor: Attila Sík
Location of studies (in Hungarian): PTE ÁOK Pécs, Szigeti u. 12. Abbreviation of location of studies: ÁOK
Description of the research topic:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major risk factor for subsequent development of epilepsy (posttraumatic epilepsy, PTE). Based on epidemiologic studies PTE accounts for approximately 20% of symptomatic epilepsy in the general population. The clear relationship between TBI and epilepsy interestingly originates from studies of soldiers injured in battle. In modern days battles the mortality is declining but head trauma, which is considered as “signature injury”, is increasing in number of survivors, and overt seizures are reported in up to 50% of survivors. It is reported that 25% of soldiers who served in recent wars suffered severe TBI. The high occurrence of epileptogenesis following severe TBI such as penetrating brain wounds in wartime, accentuates the urgent need to develop prophylactic strategies. Reports indicate that patients who do not develop seizures in the acute TBI phase have better outcomes than those patients who do have seizures. There is very often a delay in the emergence of chronic seizures after the injury, which creates an opportunity for intervention with antiepileptic drugs. Recent research suggests that prevention of early PTE may also prevent the development of chronic epilepsy. Therefore, anti-epileptic drugs are recommended to prevent early posttraumatic seizures within 7 days of injury. However, multiple trials with several anticonvulsant drugs have shown no reliable evidence that they prevent, or even suppress, epileptic seizures after TBI. The mechanisms of epileptogenesis in PTE are clearly not well understood. Although several anti-epileptic drugs have been unsuccessfully tested in PTE, laboratory animal works indicate at least two new targets for curing PTE. However, results obtained from animal models are often unusable to understand the human condition. In vitro animal TBI model using stretchable membrane has been developed many years ago. In short, the cultured brain slices are mechanically disturbed which cause similar cell damage than a head trauma.
The aim of the project is to develop a novel Multi Electrode Array recording platform built on a stretchable membrane and culture human brain slices on it to understand the relationship between TBI and posttraumatic epilepsy.
Number of students who can be accepted: 1
Deadline for application: 2022-05-20
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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