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How is homeostatic plasticity important in epilepsy?
1The Cain Foundation Laboratories, The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1250 Moursund St, Houston, TX, 77030, USA, jswann@bcm.edu.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|July 12, 2014
Summary
Homeostatic mechanisms regulate neural activity. In epilepsy, these processes become maladaptive, contributing to neurobehavioral issues, particularly in childhood epilepsy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cellular Biology
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Homeostatic mechanisms maintain physiological stability in cells and organisms.
- Neuronal and neural circuit activity is also subject to homeostatic regulation.
- Synaptic homeostatic plasticity plays a role in maintaining neural function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply concepts of homeostasis and synaptic homeostatic plasticity to epilepsy.
- To investigate the role of homeostatic mechanisms in the epileptic brain.
- To explore the link between homeostatic plasticity and neurobehavioral comorbidities in childhood epilepsy.
Main Methods:
- Review of experimental results on homeostatic regulation in the brain.
- Application of general homeostatic concepts to epilepsy.
- Utilizing the developing hippocampus as a model system.
Main Results:
- Homeostatic mechanisms are actively engaged in the epileptic brain.
- These mechanisms attempt to restore normal neuronal activity but are opposed by epileptogenesis.
- In intractable epilepsy, homeostatic mechanisms become overwhelmed and maladaptive.
- Dyshomeostasis resulting from these mechanisms contributes to neurobehavioral consequences.
Conclusions:
- Homeostatic plasticity mechanisms remain active in intractable epilepsy.
- Their persistent attempts to reset neuronal activity can become maladaptive, leading to dyshomeostasis.
- Cognitive and neurobehavioral comorbidities in childhood epilepsy may stem from unchecked homeostatic mechanisms.
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