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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Analysis of Gene Expression Changes in the Rat Hippocampus After Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Thalamic Nucleus
Published on: March 8, 2015
Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy show an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein and its
M Takahashi1, S Hayashi, A Kakita
1Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan. makoto@saigata-nh.go.jp
Abstract:
Model studies on animal seizures have proposed potential involvement of the neurotrophins, BDNF and NGF, in human epilepsy. However, their biological significance in this disease itself remains to be evaluated. Here we demonstrate that patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy show a marked increase in protein levels of BDNF (2.6-fold, p<0.01) but not other neurotrophins. Moreover, the specific BDNF increase was significantly correlated with contents of neuropeptide Y. Thus, these results indicate the activity-dependent expression of BDNF in human subjects and its potential contribution to the pathophysiology of human epilepsy via neuropeptide Y.
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