MICROBIOTA GUT-BRAIN AXIS IN EPILEPSY
TL;DR
More research is necessary to gain a better insight into the mechanisms involved in pathogenesis in order to develop new treatments that target the microbiota, with the aim of revolutionizing epilepsy management by treating its cause.
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting more than 70 million people globally, and a considerable percentage of cases are resistant to treatment. In addition, current treatments primarily manage the symptoms of the disease rather than its cause, highlighting the need to explore new strategies. A growing body of evidence highlights the impact of gut microbiota on epilepsy. This intriguing connection is mediated by bidirectional signaling through neural, endocrine, immune and humoral pathways—in other words, the gut-brain axis. It has been shown that the diversity and the composition of the gut microbiota are altered in epilepsy, stress and immune-inflammatory processes which affect seizure thresholds and neurological well-being. The ketogenic diet, which has long been used as a treatment, achieves its antiepileptic effects through the modulation of gut microbiota, while fecal microbiota transplantation is emerging as a potential new therapeutic approach. However, inconsistencies in research results and the question of the cause-effect relationship between gut-microbiota and epilepsy show the complexity of this interaction. More research is necessary to gain a better insight into the mechanisms involved in pathogenesis in order to develop new treatments that target the microbiota, with the aim of revolutionizing epilepsy management by treating its cause.