Role of intralaminar thalamic nuclei in absence epilepsy (360G-Wellcome-204014_Z_16_A)

Seizures in absence epilepsy are characterised by brief lapses in consciousness and cessation of ongoing behaviour. They occur concurrently with aberrant rhythmic electrical activity across the whole brain in the form of oscillations named Spike and Wave Discharges (SWDs). It is widely agreed that SWDs are generated in the cortico-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuit that consists of neurons that run within and between the cortex and the thalamus. The activity of neurons in many components of the CTC circuit are already well characterised, apart from that of the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus (ILNs), a group of neurons that respond in an abnormal, yet consistent way during seizures. The electrical activity of single neurons in the ILNs will be recorded and manipulated in order to physiologically characterise them and understand how changing their firing pattern can alter SWDs. The techniques required to achieve this are too invasive to be completed in humans, therefore, these methods will be undertaken in genetic and pharmacological rodent models of absence epilepsy. This work will provide a better understanding of the role of ILNs in the generation and spread of SWDs and in CTC circuit function, potentially leading to novel therapeutic approaches in absence epilepsy.