Spontaneous recurrent seizure following status epilepticus enhances dentate gyrus neurogenesis

It is known that evoked seizures can increase neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus in adult rats. Whether spontaneous seizures occurring after status epilepticus (SE) also results in alterations in neurogenesis is not known. Here, we measured neurogenesis in rats with and without spontaneous seizures following SE. Lithium–pilocarpine was used to induce seizures in postnatal (P) day 20 rats. Spontaneous seizure frequency was assessed 2 months using video monitoring. Rats then received bromodeoxyuridine to label dividing DNA and were sacrificed 24 h later. Animals with spontaneous seizures (n=9) had a modest increase in neurogenesis compared to animals with SE (n=6) and no spontaneous seizures and control rats (n=10). These findings demonstrate that the hippocampus is capable of generating new neurons weeks following SE and further that recurrent seizures enhance the production of new neurons. These alterations in neurogenesis may contribute to ongoing pathological changes week and months following SE.