Cristiane Q. Tilelli
Universidade Federal de São João Del Rei – Divinópolis, Brasil.
Professora Associada da Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei (UFSJ).
LECTURE: Contributions of Basic Science to a Network Analysis of Epilepsy and Comorbidities.
Epilepsy is a complex disease, with epileptic seizures having diverse etiologies. One of the most common and well characterized epilepsy types, mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), is specially related to one brain region, the hippocampal formation. MTLE can be modeled in animals, using several approaches, such as electrical stimulation and local or systemic drug injections.
Of importance, great morphological and electrographical alterations are observed in the hippocampal formation both in patients and animals affected by MTLE. On the other hand, a great amount of studies recognizes that other areas, besides the hippocampal formation, are involved in the expression of MTLE.
Immediate early genes, such as c-Fos, inflammation-related biomarkers, neurodegeneration, axonal and dendritic reorganization, and MRI/DTI alterations, have been detected in extra-hippocampal sites, such as amygdaloid complex, cortical non-temporal regions, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, brainstem and cerebellum.
However, extra-hippocampal networks are commonly neglected in the evaluation of epilepsies, since they are usually morphologically, functionally and, based upon connectivity, more complex than hippocampus. Cristiane Q. Tilelli will, therefore, present here a critical review, discussing extra-hippocampal circuits as part of MTLE disease, suggesting future directions for experimental epilepsy research.