Premium
Predicting and treating stress‐Induced vulnerability to epilepsy and depression
Author(s) -
Becker Christel,
Bouvier Elodie,
Ghestem Antoine,
Siyoucef Safia,
Claverie Damien,
Camus Françoise,
Bartolomei Fabrice,
Benoliel JeanJacques,
Bernard Christophe
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.24414
Subject(s) - epileptogenesis , epilepsy , status epilepticus , depression (economics) , vulnerability (computing) , neurotrophic factors , neuroscience , brain derived neurotrophic factor , psychology , population , psychiatry , medicine , clinical psychology , receptor , environmental health , computer security , computer science , economics , macroeconomics
Accumulation of stressful events can render individuals susceptible to develop epilepsy and comorbidities. Whether such vulnerability can be predicted and reversed is not known. Here we show that social defeat, although not producing depression by itself, produced in 50% of rats reduced threshold for status epilepticus (SE), accelerated epileptogenesis, and once epilepsy was induced, depression‐like profile and cognitive deficits. Low serum brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels measured before SE identified this vulnerable population. Treatment with a BDNF analog before SE prevented the occurrence of comorbidities. Thus, vulnerability to comorbidities after epilepsy onset due to unresolved past stressful events may be predicted and reversed. Ann Neurol 2015;78:128–136