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Disorders of cortical development and epilepsy.
Brenda E Porter1, Amy Brooks-Kayal, Jeff A Golden
1Division of Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Wood Bldg 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. porterb@email.chop.edu
Archives of Neurology
|March 14, 2002
Summary
Disorders of cortical development (DCD) are categorized by structure, revealing distinct seizure types and treatments. Aberrant brain networks in DCD cause epilepsy, offering future prevention targets.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Significant advancements in identifying and categorizing cortical development lesions (DCD) over the last decade.
- Epilepsy is a frequent clinical manifestation of DCD.
- Understanding the link between DCD and epilepsy is crucial for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and categorize DCD based on their structural characteristics.
- To discuss the underlying causes and clinical features of various DCD.
- To explore the mechanisms linking DCD to epilepsy.
Main Methods:
- Categorization of DCD by structural abnormalities.
- Review of clinical features, seizure types, and electroencephalographic findings associated with DCD.
- Analysis of human tissue and animal models to understand DCD-epilepsy mechanisms.
Main Results:
- DCD are diverse, with unique causes, seizure patterns, treatments, and EEG features for each type.
- Aberrant synaptic connections in dysplastic brain tissue create hyperexcitable networks.
- These abnormal networks increase susceptibility to seizures in individuals with DCD.
Conclusions:
- DCD are structurally diverse, each with specific clinical and etiological profiles.
- Epilepsy in DCD arises from hyperexcitable networks formed by aberrant synaptic connections.
- Future research focusing on preventing aberrant network formation may offer strategies to prevent epilepsy in DCD.