Abstract:
Seizures are a poorly understood neurophysiological state epitomized by hypersynchronous excitatory brain activity. This chapter will explore the experimental and theoretical basis for the involvement of gap junctions in the generation of seizure activity. Interest in this subject has been driven by the idea that direct electrical communication between neurons (via open gap junctions) ought to promote hypersynchronous activity because of the rapid propagation of electrical activity between linked cells. A full understanding of this topic, however, rests upon an appreciation of the cell-specific distribution of gap junction subtypes across different brain networks. Of particular relevance are gap junction-linked astrocytic, inhibitory interneuronal and excitatory pyramidal cell networks. Research delineating the respective roles of each is in its infancy, but clues from recent experimental and theoretical mathematical modeling studies provide a solid foundation from which to explore this topic.
