Adult ; Epilepsy ; genetics ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; genetics ; Hypogonadism ; genetics ; Intellectual Disability ; genetics ; Male ; White Matter ; pathology

Epilepsies are a group of chronic neurological disorders characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures caused by abnormal synchronous firing of neurons and transient brain dysfunction. The underlying mechanisms are complex and not yet fully understood. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, as a condition of excessive accumulation of unfolded and/or misfolded proteins in the ER lumen, has been considered as a pathophysiological mechanism of epilepsy in recent years. ER stress can enhance the protein processing capacity of the ER to restore protein homeostasis through unfolded protein response, which may inhibit protein translation and promote misfolded protein degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. However, persistent ER stress can also cause neuronal apoptosis and loss, which may aggravate the brain damage and epilepsy. This review has summarized the role of ER stress in the pathogenesis of genetic epilepsy.
Humans ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/genetics* ; Unfolded Protein Response ; Endoplasmic Reticulum/pathology* ; Apoptosis ; Epilepsy/genetics*

PURPOSE: Rett syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder in females. Most have mutations in the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene (80-90%). Epilepsy is a significant commonly accompanied feature in Rett syndrome. Our study was aimed at comprehensive analysis of genetic and clinical features in Rett syndrome patients, especially in regards to epileptic features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 20 patients who were diagnosed with MECP2 mutations at Severance Children's Hospital between January 1995 and July 2010. All patients met clinical criteria for Rett syndrome. Evaluations included clinical features, epilepsy classification, electroencephalography analysis, and treatment of seizures. RESULTS: Ages ranged from 3.6 to 14.3 years (7.7+/-2.6). Fourteen different types of MECP2 mutations were found, including a novel in-frame mutation (1153-1188 del36). Fourteen of these patients (70.0%) had epilepsy, and the average age of seizure onset was 3.0+/-1.8 years. Epilepsy was diverse, including partial seizure in four patients (28.5%), secondarily generalized seizure in six (42.8%), generalized tonic seizure in two (14.3%), Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in one (7.1%), and myoclonic status in non-progressive encephalopathy in one (7.1%). Motor functions were delayed so that only 10 patients (50.0%) were able to walk independently: five (35.8%) in the epilepsy group and five (83.3%) in the non-epilepsy group. Average developmental scale was 33.5+/-32.8 in the epilepsy group and 44.4+/-21.2 in the non-epilepsy group. A clear genotype-phenotype correlation was not found. CONCLUSION: There is a tendency for more serious motor impairment and cognitive deterioration in Rett syndrome patients with epilepsy.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epilepsy/*genetics/*pathology ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2/*genetics ; Mutation ; Phenotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Rett Syndrome/*genetics/*pathology

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder, which is not only related to the imbalance between excitatory glutamic neurons and inhibitory GABAergic neurons, but also related to abnormal central cholinergic regulation. This article summarizes the scientific background and experimental data about cholinergic dysfunction in epilepsy from both cellular and network levels, further discusses the exact role of cholinergic system in epilepsy. In the cellular level, several types of epilepsy are believed to be associated with aberrant metabotropic muscarinic receptors in several different brain areas, while the mutations of ionotropic nicotinic receptors have been reported to result in a specific type of epilepsy-autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. In the network level, cholinergic projection neurons as well as their interaction with other neurons may regulate the development of epilepsy, especially the cholinergic circuit from basal forebrain to hippocampus, while cholinergic local interneurons have not been reported to be associated with epilepsy. With the development of optogenetics and other techniques, dissect and regulate cholinergic related epilepsy circuit has become a hotspot of epilepsy research.
Acetylcholine ; physiology ; Basal Forebrain ; pathology ; Brain Chemistry ; genetics ; physiology ; Cholinergic Neurons ; chemistry ; classification ; pathology ; physiology ; Epilepsy ; genetics ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Epilepsy, Frontal Lobe ; genetics ; GABAergic Neurons ; physiology ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; Humans ; Mutation ; genetics ; physiology ; Neurons ; Non-Neuronal Cholinergic System ; genetics ; physiology ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; genetics ; physiology ; Receptors, Nicotinic ; genetics ; physiology ; Synaptic Transmission ; genetics ; physiology

Inflammation is known to participate in the mediation of a growing number of acute and chronic neurological disorders. Even so, the involvement of inflammation in the pathogenesis of epilepsy and seizure-induced brain damage has only recently been appreciated. Inflammatory processes, including activation of microglia and astrocytes and production of proinflammatory cytokines and related molecules, have been described in human epilepsy patients as well as in experimental models of epilepsy. For many decades, a functional role for brain inflammation has been implied by the effective use of anti-inflammatory treatments, such as steroids, in treating intractable pediatric epilepsy of diverse causes. Conversely, common pediatric infectious or autoimmune diseases are often accompanied by seizures during the course of illness. In addition, genetic susceptibility to inflammation correlated with an increased risk of epilepsy. Mounting evidence thus supports the hypothesis that inflammation may contribute to epileptogenesis and cause neuronal injury in epilepsy. We provide an overview of the current knowledge that implicates brain inflammation as a common predisposing factor in epilepsy, particularly childhood epilepsy.
Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Chronic Disease ; Encephalitis/genetics/immunology/metabolism/*pathology ; Epilepsy/immunology/metabolism/*pathology/therapy ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Nervous System Diseases/immunology/pathology

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is one of the most prevalent mental retardations. It is mainly caused by the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP is an RNA binding protein and can regulate the translation of its binding RNA, thus regulate several signaling pathways. Many FXS patients show high susceptibility to epilepsy. Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder which is characterized by the recurrent appearance of spontaneous seizures due to neuronal hyperactivity in the brain. Both the abnormal activation of several signaling pathway and morphological abnormality that are caused by the loss of FMRP can lead to a high susceptibility to epilepsy. Combining with the research progresses on both FXS and epilepsy, we outlined the possible mechanisms of high susceptibility to epilepsy in FXS and tried to give a prospect on the future research on the mechanism of epilepsy that happened in other mental retardations.
Brain ; physiopathology ; Epilepsy ; etiology ; genetics ; pathology ; Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fragile X Syndrome ; complications ; genetics ; Humans ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To examine the changes of morphology and differentially expressed proteins in hippocampus at the latent stage of chronic mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) in immature rats, and to explore the global mechanism of chronic MTLE at a new point. METHODS: MTLE models of immature rats were induced by lithium-pilocarpine. The rats were divided into 2 groups randomly: a control group (n=20) and an MTLE model group (n=20). At the latent stage, nissl and Timm staining were performed to evaluate the cell loss and mossy fiber sprouting. The differentially expressed proteins were separated by 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) technology. Western blot was used to determine the differentially expression levels of partial proteins. RESULTS: Neuron loss and abnormal mossy fiber sprouting were obviously observed in the hippocampus in the MTLE model group; 2-DE patterns of hippocampus of the MTLE model group in latent stage and the control group were established. Thirty-one differential proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS, which were categorized into several groups by biological functions: synaptic and neurotransmitter release related proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, cell junctions proteins, energy metabolism and mitochondrial proteins, biological enzymes, cellular structure related proteins, signal regulating molecular and others. The expression levels of partial proteins determined by Western blot were similar to the changes of proteomics. CONCLUSION The differentially expressed proteins of synapse-related proteins such as dynamin-1, neurogranin and ubiquitin, which cause the synapse reorganization and mossy fiber terminal sprouting related to the formation of abnormal excitatory network, probably play critic roles in the mechanism of MTLE.
Animals ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Pilocarpine ; Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proteomics ; methods ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo detect potential mutation of Doublecortin (DCX) gene in a patient featuring X-linked subcortical laminar heterotopia (X-SCLH) and epilepsy.

METHODSMutation of the DCX gene was screened by PCR and direct sequencing. Pathogenicity of the mutation was analyzed with a PolyPhen-2 software.

RESULTSA de novo missense mutation c.971T>C (p.Phe324Ser) was discovered.

CONCLUSIONA diagnostic method for X-SCLH has been established, which may facilitate diagnosis and genetic counseling of patients featuring this disease.

Agenesis of Corpus Callosum ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Brain ; pathology ; Child ; Classical Lissencephalies and Subcortical Band Heterotopias ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Exons ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; genetics ; Mutation ; Neuropeptides ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical and genetic characteristics of a Chinese family with benign familial convulsions (BFNC).

METHODSThe clinical data of this family was analyzed. The blood samples were collected from 13 members of this family. By four microsatellite markers which are located in the gene loci of both K+ channel KCNQ2 and KCNQ3, the linkage analysis was performed in the family. With DNA direct sequencing and restriction endonuclease cutting analysis, the mutation analysis of KCNQ3 gene was made for the proband, other 12 family members and 76 unrelated normal individuals.

RESULTSThere were 7 patients with BFNC observed in the three generation of family. The BFNC seizures of all patients disappeared during one month and no recurrence of seizures was found. The linkage analysis suggested the disease gene linked to KCNQ3 gene locus in the family. The mutation 988(C to T) of KCNQ3 gene was found in the proband by DNA-direct sequencing. Cosegregation of this mutation with BFNC was confirmed by restriction endonuclease cutting analysis.

CONCLUSIONChinese patients with BFNC can be caused by KCNQ3 gene mutation.

Base Sequence ; Child ; China ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Epilepsy, Benign Neonatal ; genetics ; pathology ; Family Health ; Female ; Genetic Linkage ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; KCNQ3 Potassium Channel ; genetics ; Male ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Previous studies have reported the association of prodynorphin (PDYN) promoter polymorphism with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) susceptibility, but the results remain inconclusive. To further precisely evaluate this association, we performed a meta-analysis. Published studies of TLE and PDYN polymorphism up to February 2015 were identified. Subgroup analysis by TLE subtype was performed. Moreover, sensitivity, heterogeneity, and publication bias were also analyzed. Seven case-control studies were finally included in this meta-analysis with 875 TLE cases and 1426 controls. We did not find synthetic evidence of association between PDYN promoter polymorphism and TLE susceptibility (OR=1.184, 95% CI: 0.873-1.606, P=0.277). Similar results were also obtained in non-familial-risk TLE subgroup. However, in the familial-risk TLE subgroup analysis, a significant association was observed (OR=1.739, 95% CI: 1.154-2.619, P=0.008). In summary, this meta-analysis suggests that PDYN gene promoter polymorphism might contribute to familial-risk TLE.
Case-Control Studies ; Enkephalins ; genetics ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; diagnosis ; genetics ; pathology ; Family ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Inheritance Patterns ; Odds Ratio ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Prognosis ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Protein Precursors ; genetics