Intergenerational Transmission of Enhanced Seizure Susceptibility after Febrile Seizures
Dengchang Wu,
Bo Feng,
Yunjian Dai,
Xiaohua Wu,
Bin Chen,
Cenglin Xu,
Yangshun Tang,
Kang Wang,
Shihong Zhang,
Shuang Wang,
Benyan Luo,
Zhong Chen
Affiliations
Dengchang Wu
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Bo Feng
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Yunjian Dai
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Xiaohua Wu
Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Bin Chen
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Cenglin Xu
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Yangshun Tang
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Kang Wang
Department of Neurology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Shihong Zhang
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Shuang Wang
Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Benyan Luo
Department of Neurology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Zhong Chen
Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Environmental exposure early in development plays a role in susceptibility to disease in later life. Here, we demonstrate that prolonged febrile seizures induced by exposure of rat pups to a hyperthermic environment enhance seizure susceptibility not only in these hyperthermia-treated rats but also in their future offspring, even if the offspring never experience febrile seizures. This transgenerational transmission was intensity-dependent and was mainly from mothers to their offspring. The transmission was associated with DNA methylation. Thus, our study supports a “Lamarckian”-like mechanism of pathogenesis and the crucial role of epigenetic factors in neurological conditions.
