Epilepsia Open. 2018 Jul 8;3(3):331-339. doi: 10.1002/epi4.12238. eCollection 2018 Sep.

Progress in the molecular mechanisms of genetic epilepsies using patient-induced pluripotent stem cells.

Zhou R¹, Jiang G², Tian X¹, Wang X¹.

Abstract

Research findings on the molecular mechanisms of epilepsy almost always originate from animal experiments, and the development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology allows the use of human cells with genetic defects for studying the molecular mechanisms of genetic epilepsy (GE) for the first time. With iPSC technology, terminally differentiated cells collected from GE patients with specific genetic etiologies can be differentiated into many relevant cell subtypes that carry all of the GE patient's genetic information. iPSCs have opened up a new research field involving the pathogenesis of GE. Using this approach, studies have found that gene mutations induce GE by altering the balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition, which is associated. among other factors, with neuronal developmental disturbances, ion channel abnormalities, and synaptic dysfunction. Simultaneously, astrocyte activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and abnormal signaling pathway activity are also important factors in the molecular mechanisms of GE.