title: Glial cells as primary therapeutic targets for epilepsy.
abstract: Neurons have been the natural focus of discussion for most of the history of research on seizures and epilepsy. Simply stated, epilepsy is a disease of sporadic, progressive disruption of neuronal activity. Thus causes and therapies for epilepsy have been naturally aimed at the obvious manifestation of disease: neuronal dysfunction. However, over the last two decades a new view is beginning to emerge that is defining the dependence of neuronal function and seizure susceptibility on glia. This view changes the definition of epilepsy as a disease of neurons to a disease of a heterogeneous neuronal-glial network. This new glial focus is suggesting new opportunities to treat the nearly 1/3 of individuals who do not respond to traditional antiepileptic drug (AEDs) therapies as well as suggesting ways to reduce the many unwanted side effects of AEDs.
authors.affiliation: Center for Glial-Neuronal Interactions, Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA, United States. Electronic address: devin.binder@ucr.edu.
authors.forename: Devin K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: Monica J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Carson
mesh_terms: D017690:Cell Transplantation; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*