title: Molecular cascades that mediate the influence of inflammation on epilepsy.
abstract: Experimental evidence strongly indicates a significant role for inflammatory and immune mediators in initiation of seizures and epileptogenesis. Here we will summarize data supporting the involvement of IL-1β, TNF-α and toll-like receptor 4 in seizure generation and the process of epileptogenesis. The physiological homeostasis and control over brain immune response depends on the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling and leukocyte migration. To what extent targeting the immune system is successful in preventing epileptogenesis, and which signaling pathway should be beleaguered is still under intensive research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. alonf@bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Alon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dingledine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha