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REVIEW article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Epilepsy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1413023

Unveiling the Hidden Connection: The Blood-Brain Barrier's Role in Epilepsy

Provisionally accepted
Jinkun Han Jinkun Han Ying Wang Ying Wang Peng-Hu Wei Peng-Hu Wei Di Lu Di Lu Yongzhi Shan Yongzhi Shan *
  • Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Epilepsy is characterized by abnormal synchronous electrical activity of neurons in the brain. The blood-brain barrier, which is mainly composed of endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes and other cell types and is formed by connections between a variety of cells, is the key physiological structure connecting the blood and brain tissue and is critical for maintaining the microenvironment in the brain. Physiologically, the blood-brain barrier controls the microenvironment in the brain mainly by regulating the passage of various substances. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier and increased leakage of specific substances, which ultimately leading to weakened cell junctions and abnormal regulation of ion concentrations, have been observed during the development and progression of epilepsy in both clinical studies and animal models. In addition, disruption of the blood-brain barrier increases drug resistance through interference with drug trafficking mechanisms. The changes in the blood-brain barrier in epilepsy mainly affect molecular pathways associated with angiogenesis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Further research on biomarkers is a promising direction for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

    Keywords: Epilepsy, Blood-Brain Barrier, Angiogenesis, Inflammation, biomarkers

    Received: 06 Apr 2024; Accepted: 18 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Han, Wang, Wei, Lu and Shan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yongzhi Shan, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.