Epilepsy - Etiological and Pathophysiological Aspect

**19**

**Chapter 2**

**Abstract**

models

**1. Introduction**

onset and progression of seizures.

Inflammation: Cause or

Consequence of Epilepsy?

*Vanessa Lin Lin Lee and Mohd. Farooq Shaikh*

with experimental models in inflammation and epilepsy research.

**Keywords:** inflammation, inflammatory mediators, seizures, epilepsy, animal

Epilepsy is a brain disorder denoted by the predisposition to generate seizures accompanied by emotional and cognitive dysfunction [1]. Currently, there are estimated to be 50–70 million people worldwide suffering from epilepsy but only about 70% of them respond well to existing antiepileptic drugs [2, 3]. Furthermore, epileptic patients suffer deteriorating quality of life as they face limitations on their physical activities and daily life as well as being subjected to prejudice due to their seizures [4]. This calls for more research to seek for novel and effective therapies for the management and treatment of epilepsy, by first understanding the basis for the

The exact cause of epilepsy is still unknown, but there are mounting evidence showing that the development of epileptogenesis can be linked to a wide array of factors such as genetic predisposition, developmental disorders and neurological insults [5]. Neurological insults, which contribute towards up to 60% of epilepsy cases, include traumatic brain injuries (TBI), cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), central nervous system (CNS) infections and strokes, where inflammation is one of the key features of epileptogenesis [6]. However, the role of inflammation in epilepsy is still being actively studied, with various arguments on whether inflammation is the cause or consequence of epilepsy [7]. The blood-brain barrier (BBB),

Epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder, affecting about 70 million people worldwide. It is defined as a central nervous system disorder which affects the neuronal activity in the brain, causing unprovoked seizures and other behavioral changes. Unfortunately, one-third of epilepsy patients are unresponsive to available therapies and patients who respond to antiepileptic drugs often complain of debilitating side effects. In the effort of devising a suitable therapy for epilepsy treatment, researchers delved into the origin of seizures and the epileptogenic process and found an association between epilepsy and inflammation. Here, we discuss the involvement of inflammatory mediators in the development and progression of seizures and epileptogenesis, supported by clinical shreds of evidence. Subsequently, we discuss the role of inflammation in the generation of seizures, as it is debatable whether inflammation is the cause or consequence of epilepsy, along
