Immune dysregulation and epileptogenesis

The pathogenesis of epilepsy is thought to involve not only electrical imbalances but also autoantibodies, glial cells dysfunctions, cytokine signaling, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Autoimmune epilepsy is an immune-mediated neurological disorder caused by dysregulation of the immune system, leading to hyperexcitability of neural networks and epileptogenesis. This paper aimsto review the neuroimmunological mechanisms of autoimmune epilepsy, the processes of epileptogenesis, and modern diagnostic approaches. The role of blood-brain barrier damage, which allows autoantibodies and immune cells to enter the central nervous system, thereby contributing to neuroinflammation and disrupt ing synaptic transmission, is discussed. Particular attention is paid to functional changes in glial cells-astrocytes and microglia-including disruption of glutamate homeostasis, the action of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6), and complement activation. The paper describes in detail the effects of autoantibodies on neuronal surface antigens, including NMDA, AMPA, and GABA receptors, as well as the LGI1 and CASPR2 complexes. These mechanisms lead to receptor internalization, impaired synaptic plasticity, loss of inhibitory control, and hyperexcitability of the neural network. Particular attention is paid to clinical and biochemical correlations, the phenotypic characteristics of specific autoantibodies, diagnostic challenges in seronegative autoimmune epilepsy, and cerebrospinal fluid markers. Further study of these mechanisms will not only contribute to a better understanding of the disease but also to the development of new antiepileptic and targeted immunotherapeutic strategies.