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

Fadila, S.; Beucher, B.; Dopeso-Reyes, I. G.; Mavashov, A.; Brusel, M.; Anderson, K.; Goldberg, E. M.; Ricobaraza, A.; Hernandez-Alcoceba, R.; Kremer, E. J.; Rubinstein, M.

doi:10.1101/2022.06.10.495591

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.06.10.495591

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

Fadila, S.·Beucher, B.·Dopeso-Reyes, I. G.·Mavashov, A.·Brusel, M.·Anderson, K.·Goldberg, E. M.·Ricobaraza, A.·Hernandez-Alcoceba, R.·Kremer, E. J.·Rubinstein, M.

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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.

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Fadila, S., Beucher, B., Dopeso-Reyes, I. G., Mavashov, A., Brusel, M., Anderson, K., Goldberg, E. M., Ricobaraza, A., Hernandez-Alcoceba, R., Kremer, E. J., Rubinstein, M.. 2022-06-12. Exogenous Nav1.1 activity in excitatory and inhibitory neurons reverts Dravet syndrome comorbidities when delivered post-symptom onset in mice with Dravet. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.10.495591

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