BOOKS BY CATEGORY
Your Account
Crucial Role for Astrocytes in Epilepsy
Price
Quantity
€45.08
(To see other currencies, click on price)
Paperback / softback
Add to basket  

MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK

Main description:

This book summarizes current evidence of astrocyte dysfunction in epilepsy and discusses presumed underlying mechanisms. Epilepsy is characterized by the periodic occurrence of seizures. Currently available anticonvulsant drugs and therapies are insufficient to controlling seizures in about one third of patients. Thus, there is an urgent need for new therapies that prevent generation of the disorder and improve seizure control in individuals already afflicted. The vast majority of epileptic cases are of idiopathic origin with their underlying mechanisms being unclear. Neurosurgical specimens from patients presenting with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) demonstrate marked reactive gliosis. Since recent studies have implicated astrocytes in important physiological roles in the CNS, such as synchronization of neuronal firing, it is plausible that they may also have a role in seizure generation and/or seizure spread. In support of this view, various membrane channels, receptors, and transporters in astrocytic membranes are altered in the epileptic brain. Excitingly, recent evidence suggests that in the course of the pathogenesis of MTLE, these glial changes alter homeostatic network functions and temporally precede the alterations in neurons. These findings might eventually classify MTLE as a glial rather than a neuronal disorder, and identify astrocytes as promising new targets for the development of more specific antiepileptogenic therapeutic strategies. Although research on astrocytes in epilepsy is still in its infancy, this book clearly demonstrates a critical role of astrocytes in the disturbance of K+ and transmitter homeostasis and its impact on seizure generation.


Contents:

Acknowledgments
Introduction
K+ Buffering in Epilepsy
GJ Communication in Epilepsy
Aquaporin-4 Dysfunction and Epilepsy
Altered Glutamate Homeostasis in Epilepsy
Dysfunction of the BBB in Epilepsy
Astrocyte Ca2+ Signaling and Gliotransmission in Epilepsy
Adenosine Dysfunction in Epilepsy
Astrocyte Immune Responses and Epilepsy
Astrocytes and Absence Epilepsy
Conclusions
References
Author Biographies


PRODUCT DETAILS

ISBN-13: 9781615047147
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Publication date: August, 2015
Pages: 90
Weight: 333g
Availability: Available
Subcategories: Neurology

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Average Rating