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Query: UMLS:C0014547 (
focal epilepsy
)
1,627
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Chronic
focal epilepsy
is associated with synaptic plasticity and growth of new connections.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
(
BDNF
) is associated with each of these processes in normal brain and shows acute up-regulation in models of generalized epilepsy. Here, using an experimental model of
focal epilepsy
, we show persistent up-regulation of
BDNF
mRNA, independent of that of other growth factors, in association with the development and persistence of chronic seizures. In situ hybridization histochemistry revealed that rats perfused within 2-3 days after seizure onset had widespread increases in
BDNF
mRNA levels in the neocortex. Rats perfused at later times, however, showed focal up-regulation of
BDNF
mRNA at the injection site and down-regulation in a surrounding cortical zone. Nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3 mRNAs were not significantly altered. These reciprocal changes in
BDNF
gene expression in the epileptic focus and the cortical surround may contribute to plastic changes in epileptic neuronal circuits that accompany the transition from acute to chronic epilepsy.
BDNF
down-regulation in the surround is likely to be associated with the inhibitory surround that hampers seizure spread, but facilitates the persistence of a chronic epileptic focus.
...
PMID:Reciprocal up- and down-regulation of BDNF mRNA in tetanus toxin-induced epileptic focus and inhibitory surround in cerebral cortex. 975 12
Background:
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
(
BDNF
) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) may regulate the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in epilepsy. The present study investigated the role of IGF-1 and
BDNF
in the regulation of autonomic functions and cerebral autoregulation in patients with epilepsy.
Methods:
A total of 57 patients with
focal epilepsy
and 35 healthy controls were evaluated and their sudomotor, cardiovagal, and adrenergic functions were assessed using a battery of ANS function tests, including the deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, head-up tilting, and Q-sweat tests. Cerebral autoregulation was measured by transcranial doppler during the breath-holding test and the Valsalva maneuver. Interictal serum levels of
BDNF
and IGF-1 were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.
Results:
During interictal period, reduced serum levels of
BDNF
and IGF-1, impaired autonomic functions, and decreased cerebral autoregulation were noted in patients with epilepsy compared with healthy controls. Reduced serum levels of
BDNF
correlated with age, adrenergic and sudomotor function, overall autonomic dysfunction, and the autoregulation index calculated in Phase II of the Valsalva maneuver, and showed associations with focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures. Reduced serum levels of IGF-1 were found to correlate with age and cardiovagal function, a parameter of cerebral autoregulation (the breath-hold index). Patients with a longer history of epilepsy, higher seizure frequency, and temporal lobe epilepsy had lower serum levels of IGF-1.
Conclusions:
Long-term epilepsy and severe epilepsy, particularly temporal lobe epilepsy, may perturb
BDNF
and IGF-1 signaling in the central autonomic system, contributing to the autonomic dysfunction and impaired cerebral autoregulation observed in patients with
focal epilepsy
.
...
PMID:Serum Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Are Associated With Autonomic Dysfunction and Impaired Cerebral Autoregulation in Patients With Epilepsy. 3052 58
