Neurobehavioral Comorbidities in Pentylenetetrazol-kindled Mice and Role of the α4β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

Patients with epilepsy are often affected by not only seizures but also a variety of cognitive and psychiatric comorbidities that further impair their quality of life. However, it is unclear whether epilepsy is associated with psychic function. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effects of kindling-induced epileptic seizures on psychic functioning, using behavioral pharmacological tests. Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-kindled mice displayed impaired motor coordination (in the rotarod test), and social approach impairment (in the three-chamber social test) compared with vehicle mice. Intraperitoneal ABT-418 treatment (0.05 mg/kg) alleviated these behavioral abnormalities in PTZ-kindled mice. Immunolabeling of tissue sections demonstrated that expression of the alpha 4 subunit of the alpha 4 beta 2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the piriform cortex was significantly decreased in PTZ-kindled mice. In contrast, expression of the synaptic adhesion molecule neuroligin 3 (NLG3) was significantly higher in the piriform cortex of PTZ-kindled mice compared with vehicle mice. Collectively, our findings suggest that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like or autistic-like behavioral abnormalities associated with epilepsy are closely linked to downregulation of the alpha 4 subunit of the alpha 4 beta 2 receptor and upregulation of NLG3 in the mouse piriform cortex. In summary, this study indicates that ABT-418 is a good candidate for the treatment of patients with epilepsy complicated by psychiatric symptoms such as autism and ADHD.