Intergenerational Transmission of Enhanced Seizure Susceptibility after Febrile Seizures.

Wu, Dengchang; Feng, Bo; Dai, Yunjian; Wu, Xiaohua; Chen, Bin; Xu, Cenglin; Tang, Yangshun; Wang, Kang et al. · EBioMedicine · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

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.

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