Hank Chung
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Wei-Chih Chang
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Neurology / Medicine
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Authors: Hank Chung, Wei-Chih Chang
Abstract
Epilepsy, a common central nervous system disorder, is characterized by recurrent seizures—sudden bursts of synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Onsets of seizures are extremely difficult to predict, partly due to no significant biomarker and complicated pre-seizure mechanisms, which signify the conditions that lead to seizures and the timing of the changes in brain activity. The understanding of the pre-seizure mechanisms nowadays greatly relies on animal models, in which in vitro conditions—performing experiments outside of organisms—play a huge role. The in vitro condition is much simpler because the size and number of the neuronal networks are reduced, making it more controllable and suitable for studying complex pre-seizure mechanisms. We maintain neuronal activities in rat hippocampal slices in recording chambers, where a convulsive adjustment on the holding environment can induce electrographic seizures recorded by an electrophysiological machine. We conduct in vitro experiments in a “submerged†or “interface†recording chamber. While excellent for holding a brain slice, an interface chamber is unsuitable for probing cellular events. Conversely, a submerged chamber is not ideal for sustaining seizures but is a better condition for recording cellular events. In this UROP project, we are enhancing the submerged chamber condition to gain the benefits of both types of chambers, which involve utilizing a modified recording chamber and optimizing holding conditions. I learned the knowledge of seizures, the excitability of neurons, and electrophysiology in the past few weeks. I also prepared brain slices and recorded neuronal activities from the slices independently. In the following weeks, I will combine what I have learned to optimize the conditions and induce seizures in the modified chamber.
