Background: Hydatid disease is a common infection caused by Echinococcus granulosus. Cerebral involvement is very rare and only occurs in 2% of all hydatidosis in endemic areas. We report a case of primary multiple cerebral hydatid cysts in a 23 years old patient. Case: A 23 years old female was admitted in our emergency ward with primary generalized tonic colonic seizure, left body and face hemiparesis and history of headache in last two months. Contrast enhanced CT and MRI showed a big well-defined, rounded, cystic lesion in the motor strip of right temporo-parietal region with mass effect causing midline shift which was diagnostic for brain hydatid cyst and several smaller cysts. There was no evidence of other organs involvement. The patient underwent the brain surgery. A big hydatid cyst (10cm in diameter) and some others adhering to brain parenchyma in different sizes were evacuated completely and without rupture using Dowling method. Patient received albendazole 400mg/two times a day for 2 months too. There was no cyst in patient’s MRI study in two years follow up.

Conclusion: Though low incidence, primary multiple cerebral hydatid cysts should be considered in endemic area using brain CT and MRI. Surgery is standard treatment of the disease.

Background: Seizure is an abnormal electrical activity probably due to an imbalance between excitation and inhibition in the brain. Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) is a chemical convulsive agent abundantly used in laboratory animals. PTZ induces a change in glutamate and GABA in the brain which this study investigates the persistence of this change.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 18 male Wistar rats divided into 3 groups. Three i.v doses of PTZ 20, 25 and 30 mg/ml were used to determine the effective PTZ dose. Convulsive behaviors were monitored as tonic clonic and myoclonic twitches. Hippocampal glutamate and GABA contents were measured using a biochemical method.

Results: Dose of 20 was resulted in long latency to and short lasting TC convulsions with a high volume of injected PTZ solution. On the other hand, dose of 25 and 30 led to short latency and long lasting convulsions with low volume of injecting solution. However there was high rate of mortality (100%) in dose of 30 mg/ml. Hippocampal glutamate content was decreased in zero and 20 min groups while GABA content was decreased only in 20 min group.

Conclusion: It is concluded that dose of 25 is the appropriate i.v dose to induce TC convulsions in rats which decreases glutamate and GABA while increases the ratio of glutamate to GABA. Therefore, alteration of glutamate and GABA may be the basis for subsequent seizure induced changes.

  Background: Stress is a mental or emotional disturbance that occurs in response to external stimuli and can also appear during pregnancy. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of maternal stress during pregnancy on the cerebellar structure changes and seizure threshold of their offspring .

  Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 20 pregnant female rats were divided into two groups: 1) Non stress group, and 2) Stress group which were under immobilization stress one hour for 14 days . The seizure threshold test in offspring was performed by injecting Pantilen tetrazol drug (PTZ)(n=8) . To investigate the cerebellum development, the offspring were divided into three groups . Control group: mothers did not any stress and offspring did not receive PTZ (n=4). Sham group: mothers did not stress but the offspring had received PTZ(n=4). Experimental group: mothers did stress and offispring did receive PTZ(n=4). After the section of cerebellum, the thickness of cerebellum layers and the number of cells in each layer were evaluated.

  Results: The mean of seizure threshold in the offspring whose mothers were under the stress of pregnancy significantly increased compared to children whose mothers no received stress (p<0.001). In the other side, mean number of purkinje cells in the experimental group significantly decreased compared with the other groups (p<0.001). No significant differences were found in the mean of granular and molecular layers thickness of cerebellum in the experimental group when compared with the other groups(p<0.05). However, mean cellular density in the granular layer of cerebellum in the experimental group significantly decreased compared to other groups (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Stress during pregnancy increased the seizure threshold in offspring and caused some developmental and structural disorders in the cerebellar rat offspring.

Background: Traditional medicinal herbs have remained as a component of disease treatment system of many societies in the world. Today, many scientists have paid attention to the use of medicinal herbs in the treatment of epileptic seizures, because epilepsy is one of the most common neuropsychological disorders in the world that have many serious physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Chelidonium Majus extract in the treatment of seizure.

Materials and Methods: In this study 40 mice have been randomly chosen and divided into 5 groups including a control group that received only pentylenetetrazol, sham group that received distilled water and 3 experimental groups received aqueous extract of Chelidonium Majus in doses of 50,100 and 150 mg/kg for 4 weeks. 30 minutes after gavage with different doses of the extract or distilled water, pentylenetetrazol was injected to experimental and sham groups. Animals immediately were transferred to a special cage and the seizure behaviors and parameters were recorded by a camera. Then, the different phases of seizure, latency time for onset of seizure and seizure duration were evaluated.

Results: Data analysis indicated that the aqueous extract of Chelidonium Majus had a significant effect on PTZ-induced seizure.  Therapy by this extract increases latency time for onset of seizure and prevents progress of seizure phases.

Conclusion: The attained results showed that Chelidonium Majus extract has anticonvulsant effect on PTZ-induced seizure. Thus, it may be used in seizure treatment.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of morphine and naloxone on epileptic activity in live brain slices taken from morphine-dependent and control infant mice.

Materials and Methods: Forty neonatal mice were randomly selected. To establish dependency, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mg / kg morphine was injected subcutaneously once daily (0.1 cc) for 5 consecutive days from day 14-18 after birth. On postnatal days 19-20, brain slices were prepared and cerebrospinal fluid was perfused with low magnesium to induce experimental- epiletform activity. The effects of 10, 100 and 1000 µM concentrations of morphine and 10 µM naloxone were investigated on epileptic activity. Chenges in the number as well as onset and amplitude of activities were considered as an indicator to determine the quantity of their effect.  

Results: The results showed that morphine 100 µM increased the activity while 10 and 1000 µM concentrations of morphine and 10 µM naloxone attenuated epileptic activity in both groups. Naloxone reduced pro-seizure effect of morphine, but anti-seizure effect of morphine couldn't restored by naloxone.

Conclusion: Morphine has a two-phase concentration-dependent effect on epileptic activity in the infant mice; so that low and high concentrations of morphine inhibit epileptic activity, but its moderate concentration potentiates the epileptic activity. Naloxone has an anti-seizure effect.