Analysis of Flurothyl-induced Seizures and Epileptogenesis in Mice with Targeted Deletions of Exons 3 and 4 in Dock7.

Mutations in DOCK7 have been identified in individuals with epileptic encephalopathies. Given that epileptic encephalopathies are a set of disorders that result in seizure activity and associated cognitive and behavioral impairments, we investigated the role of Dock7 in seizure susceptibility and flurothyl kindling using the repeated flurothyl seizure model in mice. Male and female Dock7 +/+ and Dock7 Δex3-4/Δex3-4 mice were subjected to 8 daily flurothyl exposures (kindling, induction phase) followed by a 28-day incubation period and a subsequent flurothyl rechallenge (retest). No significant differences were observed in baseline myoclonic jerk or generalized seizure thresholds between genotypes or sexes. However, over the kindling period, male Dock7 Δex3-4/Δex3-4 mice exhibited slightly higher myoclonic jerk and generalized seizure thresholds compared to Dock7 +/+ males across trials. Female mice showed similar trends, but the differences were only significant for generalized seizure thresholds. Following the 28-day incubation period and flurothyl retest, male mice of both genotypes maintained their seizure thresholds upon retest. Dock7 +/+ female mice showed increased myoclonic jerk and generalized seizure thresholds during retest, while Dock7 Δex3-4/Δex3-4 females maintained their thresholds. A key finding was the emergence of more severe forebrain→brainstem seizures upon flurothyl retest in a significant percentage of mice across all groups. However, the proportion of mice developing these seizures did not differ significantly between genotypes. Although DOCK7 mutations have been linked to human epileptic encephalopathies and neurodevelopmental dysfunction, we find that Dock7 Δex3-4/Δex3-4 male and female mice do not show heightened excitability or seizure susceptibilities using the repeated flurothyl seizure model.