Mecanismos de neurodegeneración en la epilepsia del lóbulo temporal

Abstract

Epilepsy affects 1 and 2% of the worldwide population, while temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) covers 40% of all epilepsy cases. Controversy in defining epilepsy as a neurodegenerative disease exists because, no there is enough evidence to show seizures and status epilepticus (SE) as cause for irreversible neuronal damage. Epileptogenic insult at the beginning of the disease produces an acute and delayed neuronal death, resulting in gliosis, but also triggers compensatory processes such as angiogenesis, cell proliferation and reorganization of extracellular matrix as receptors, channels and drug transporter proteins. In neurogenesis and axonal regrowth, the age of onset is crucial for the formation of abnormal neurons and aberrant circuits as a result of seizures; approximately 30% begin in the temporal lobe.These disturbances continue in parallel or sequentially during the course of epilepsy, which implies a great challenge in the search of new treatments.