Epilepsy drug discovery (Prof.
Dedeurwaerdere)
1. What is epilepsy?
1.1. Definition
Epilepsy does not only occur in people but also in other species
It is a disease so you should think about it and treat it
Condition where you have a spontaneous seizure
1.1.1.What is epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic brain condition resulting in seizures
Epilepsy can affect anyone, no matter what the age, ethnicity, educational
background,…
Epilepsy can frequently cause severe anxiety, depression and reduced
cognitive function
Epilepsy can have a severe negative impact on the patient’s health, social
integration and quality of life
o You’re not allowed to drive
1.2. Prevalence and classification
Where does the seizure start from?
What is the reason of the seizure?
o Brain malformation
This all leads to the classification
Generalized onset: in whole brain
Structural: brain abnormality brain folded in weird way
It can be genetic a lot of genes already discovered
It can be metabolic genes linked to mitochondrial functioning
Some genes are linked to glucose uptake in brain can be affected
In majority of the cases the cause in unknown
Epilepsy syndromes: Dranet syndrome? patients have de novo mutation
in a gene
Co-morbidities: in syndromes the seizures are not the only problem, also
low development for example
1
, 1.3. Different types of seizures
Clinically two different types of seizures
o Simple partial seizures
Fully conscious but you can have motor events, etc
No hearing
o Complex partial seizures
When you lose consciousness
The seizures can start in different brain area’s
Also different ways a seizure can manifest
o Strange feelings
o Something you can hear that is not there
Remember the different types of epilepsy, what are the clinical
symptoms? Focal, generalized?
1.4. Causes and mechanisms of epilepsy
There is a part where the disease is developing = epileptogenesis
The primers may be there but it’s not symptomatic yet
Treatment today starts once you have a diagnosis
Treatment control is often trial and error try something and see if it
works
You want to prevent the whole developing of a seizure
2
Dedeurwaerdere)
1. What is epilepsy?
1.1. Definition
Epilepsy does not only occur in people but also in other species
It is a disease so you should think about it and treat it
Condition where you have a spontaneous seizure
1.1.1.What is epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic brain condition resulting in seizures
Epilepsy can affect anyone, no matter what the age, ethnicity, educational
background,…
Epilepsy can frequently cause severe anxiety, depression and reduced
cognitive function
Epilepsy can have a severe negative impact on the patient’s health, social
integration and quality of life
o You’re not allowed to drive
1.2. Prevalence and classification
Where does the seizure start from?
What is the reason of the seizure?
o Brain malformation
This all leads to the classification
Generalized onset: in whole brain
Structural: brain abnormality brain folded in weird way
It can be genetic a lot of genes already discovered
It can be metabolic genes linked to mitochondrial functioning
Some genes are linked to glucose uptake in brain can be affected
In majority of the cases the cause in unknown
Epilepsy syndromes: Dranet syndrome? patients have de novo mutation
in a gene
Co-morbidities: in syndromes the seizures are not the only problem, also
low development for example
1
, 1.3. Different types of seizures
Clinically two different types of seizures
o Simple partial seizures
Fully conscious but you can have motor events, etc
No hearing
o Complex partial seizures
When you lose consciousness
The seizures can start in different brain area’s
Also different ways a seizure can manifest
o Strange feelings
o Something you can hear that is not there
Remember the different types of epilepsy, what are the clinical
symptoms? Focal, generalized?
1.4. Causes and mechanisms of epilepsy
There is a part where the disease is developing = epileptogenesis
The primers may be there but it’s not symptomatic yet
Treatment today starts once you have a diagnosis
Treatment control is often trial and error try something and see if it
works
You want to prevent the whole developing of a seizure
2
