Epilepsy
Epilepsy is one of the most frequent brain diseases since it affects 1 % of population. The first seizure may be triggered by a variety of events in brain – injury, bleeding, infection, or ischemia.
The seizure results in brain damage and triggers some epileptogenic alterations that cause occurrence of spontaneous and repeated seizures. These seizures define epilepsy. As a consequence of brain alterations at the molecular, structural, and also functional level, epilepsy is accompanied by
- disorders of cognitive functions that include e.g. recognition, memory, learning, and adapting to unstable environment
- alterations of psychomotor development
- neuropsychiatric symptoms
Understanding of mechanisms underlying the creation of seizures is important to develop a treatment for epilepsy. Therefore, we study the beginning, spreading, and suppression of epileptic activity in adult as well as immature brain. We also investigate consequences of an early brain damage and mechanisms underlying this damage.
Development of motor skills of a rat during early developmental phases can be negatively affected by epileptic activity.
Scientific departments:
© 2014 INSTITUTE OF PHYSIOLOGY CAS