Basic research in epilepsy and aging.
A PubMed search of the years 1965 to 2003 found only 30 articles that were directly related to modeling seizures or epilepsy in aged animals. This lack of research is disturbing but explainable because of the high cost of aged animals and their increasing infirmity. Many changes occur in the older brain: cell loss in the hippocampal formation, changes in long-term potentiation maintenance, alteration in kindling, increased susceptibility to status epilepticus, and neuronal damage from stroke. The effect of aging on voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels has not been studied sufficiently. With increasing numbers of elderly persons with epilepsy needing appropriate treatment, the need to better understand the basic mechanisms of epilepsy is crucial.
Leppik
Ilo E
IE
College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. leppi001@umn.edu
Kelly
Kevin M
KM
deToledo-Morrell
Leyla
L
Patrylo
Peter R
PR
DeLorenzo
Robert J
RJ
Mathern
Gary W
GW
White
H Steve
HS
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D051381:Rats; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications
D000927:Anticonvulsants