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The ketogenic diet inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway

Sharon S McDaniel1, Nicholas R Rensing, Liu Lin Thio

  • 1Department of Neurology and the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.

Epilepsia
|March 5, 2011
PubMed

Insights

The ketogenic diet (KD) may treat epilepsy by inhibiting the mTOR pathway. This pathway

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • The ketogenic diet (KD) is a recognized epilepsy treatment.
  • Its precise mechanisms of action remain unclear.
  • The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is linked to epileptogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the KD inhibits the mTOR signaling pathway.
  • To explore the KD's potential anticonvulsant and antiepileptogenic effects.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were fed a KD.
  • Expression of pS6 and pAkt (mTOR pathway markers) was measured in the hippocampus and liver.
  • The kainate model of epilepsy was used to assess KD effects after status epilepticus.

Main Results:

  • KD feeding reduced pS6 and pAkt expression in rat hippocampus and liver.
  • In the kainate model, KD prevented the post-seizure increase in hippocampal pS6.
  • These findings indicate mTOR pathway inhibition by the KD.

Conclusions:

  • The KD may exert anticonvulsant and antiepileptogenic effects.
  • These effects are potentially mediated through the inhibition of the mTOR pathway.
  • Further research into KD's molecular mechanisms in epilepsy is warranted.

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