Exogenous Nav1.1 activity in excitatory and inhibitory neurons reverts Dravet syndrome comorbidities when delivered post-symptom onset in mice with Dravet

Abstract

Dravet syndrome (DS), an intractable childhood epileptic encephalopathy with a high fatality rate, is caused by loss-of-function mutations in one allele of SCN1A, which encodes NaV1.1. In contrast to other epilepsies, pharmaceutical treatment for DS is limited. Here, we demonstrate that viral vector-mediated delivery of a codon-modified SCN1A cDNA improves DS comorbidities in juvenile and adolescent DS mice (Scn1aA1783V/WT). Notably, bilateral vector injections into the hippocampus or thalamus of DS mice improved the survival of the mice, reduced the occurrence of epileptic spikes, provided protection from thermally-induced seizures, and corrected background electrocorticography activity. Together, our results provide a proof-of-concept for the potential of SCN1A delivery as a therapeutic approach for infants and adolescents with DS-associated comorbidities.