Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

"Epilepsy is a condition that is characterized by recurrent and unprovoked seizures. This condition is associated with pronounced memory deficits, which are believed to be the result of dysfunction in the hippocampus - a structure that is critical for long-term memory. The main goal of the proposed project is to examine if promoting increases in plasticity in the hippocampus can mitigate the memory deficits that occur as a result of chronic seizures. Importantly, environmental enrichment (EE) increases brain plasticity and improves learning and memory. Thus, we can use this approach to increase plasticity and assess whether this can resolve the memory deficits that follow chronic seizures. We aim to characterize the memory deficits produced by chronic seizures in rats that have been exposed to EE, compared to rats that have not been exposed to EE. We also aim to assess the hippocampus for markers of plasticity following the treatment. Rats will be exposed to an enriched environment followed by seizure treatment. Memory abilities will being tested in the Morris Water Task, which is sensitive to changes in the hippocampal network. We expect deficits in this task for each rat that has seizures but no exposure to EE. Next, cell staining and microscopy will be conducted to assess markers of plasticity. We expect that the condition of the rats who experience seizures and have exposure to EE will not be as severe as those who do not receive EE, and potentially no different than rats who do not have seizures The goal of this project is to evaluate whether EE can mitigate the memory deficits produced by chronic seizures. If this is the case, the results of the project will be pivotal for research aimed at alleviating the deficits associated with epilepsy. "