The piriform cortex in epilepsy: What we learn from the kindling model

Heming Cheng; Yi Wang; Junzi Chen; Zhong Chen

doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.113137

The piriform cortex in epilepsy: What we learn from the kindling model

Exp Neurol. 2020 Feb:324:113137. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.113137. Epub 2019 Nov 30.

Authors

Heming Cheng¹, Yi Wang², Junzi Chen³, Zhong Chen⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
² Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Epilepsy Center, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
³ Hangzhou No.4 High School, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Epilepsy Center, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: chenzhong@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 31794746
DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.113137

Abstract

Epilepsy is a circuit-level brain disorder characterized by excessive or hypersynchronous epileptic seizures involving a complex epileptogenic network. Cumulative evidence suggests that the piriform cortex (PC) is a crucial site in seizure initiation, propagation, and generalization in epilepsy. The kindling model is a classic animal model of complex partial seizures with secondarily generalized tonic seizures, which is usually used for the study of epilepsy pathogenesis and preclinical anti-epilepsy drug evaluation. Various essential functions of the PC in epilepsy were discovered in the kindling model, therefore, this review focuses on discussing the role of the PC in the kindling model. We review what pathological changes happen in the PC in the kindling model, how the PC is involved in the kindling model through different interventions, and finally we also provide perspectives on some possible research directions for future studies.

Keywords: Kindling; Limbic system; Temporal lobe epilepsy; The piriform cortex.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Epilepsy / physiopathology*
Humans
Kindling, Neurologic*
Piriform Cortex / physiopathology*