c. Elegans and epilepsy

Question 1

What do c. Elegans lack which make them so interesting to study epilepsy?

Answer 1

Voltage-gated sodium channels

Question 2

What is PTZ?

Answer 2

Pentylenetetrazole. Seizure-inducing GABA antagonist

Question 3

What is ‘head-bobbing’?

Answer 3

Repetitive anterior muscle contractions - with the posterior part of the worm paralysed

Question 4

What other non-chemical ways exist to induce seizures in worms? And why are these used less?

Answer 4

Heating the worms to over 26oC in solution. Not very relevant to human epilepsy aetiology

Question 5

What is muscimol?

Answer 5

GABAA receptor agonist

Question 6

What is the effect of muscimol on worms?

Answer 6

Wild-type worms (eg. N2) will be paralysed, however, unc-49 mutants will be resistant to the effects and will not be paralysed

Question 7

What is a body bend assay?

Answer 7

A type of behaviour test for the assessment of locomotion of C. elegans. A body bend is defined as one complete sinusoidal movement from maximum to minimum amplitude and back again

Question 8

What is a electropharyngeogram (EPGs)?

Answer 8

Electrophysiological extracellular recording used to analyse pharyngeal neural and muscular activity

Question 9

What is a rol/roller/rol-6 phenotype?

Answer 9

C. elegans that show a helically twisted body

Question 10

What is a seizure assay?

Answer 10

Behaviour assay used to determine the seizure-like activity in C. elegans

Question 11

What is a thrashing assay?

Answer 11

A type of behavioural test for C. elegans locomotion. Thrashing – defined as one complete sinusoidal movement from maximum to minimum amplitude and back again