Shared Neurobiology of Epilepsy, Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration
Description
Epilepsy is common, affecting at least 1 in 26 people across the lifespan. Epilepsy and recurrent seizures can be comorbid with other conditions in an age-dependent fashion. Seizures can be present in up to 50% of children with autism, and at the other end of the lifespan, over 22% of patients with Alzheimer’s dementia also have seizures. Molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy are increasingly revealing novel biomarkers and therapeutics for seizure control. Understanding how epilepsy and seizures contribute to other disorders such as autism and dementia will yield improved biomarkers and treatment targets for all three domains.
This presentation will examine evidence for how hyperexcitable networks can not only contribute to synaptic dysfunction resulting in epilepsy, but also the cognitive impairment associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, and with neurodegeneration that occurs in disorders such as Alzheimer’s dementia. Multiomic gene and protein studies are revealing several common pathologic mechanisms between these disorders The presentation will consider emerging evidence for new biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets that could have clinical potential.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the factors underlying the interaction between epilepsy, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative disorders as well practical insights into the use of neurodegenerative biomarkers to support earlier diagnosis, inform prognosis, and guide patient-centered care.