July 7, 2020

Network Dysfunction in Coexisting Psychiatric Illnesses and Epilepsy

Abstract, published in Currents

The episodic nature of both epilepsy and psychiatric illnesses suggests that the brain switches between healthy and pathological states. The most obvious example of transitions between network states related to epilepsy are seizures, but there are more subtle changes in communication within and between brain regions, which these researchers propose may contribute to psychiatric illnesses associated with epilepsy.

This review will highlight evidence supporting abnormal network activity associated with epilepsy and the contribution to cognitive impairments and coexisting psychiatric illnesses. Further, it discusses potential mechanisms mediating the network dysfunction associated with coexisting disorders in epilepsy. Conceptually, it is necessary to think beyond seizure activity to appreciate the breadth of network dysfunction contributing to the spectrum of symptoms associated with epilepsy, including coexisting psychiatric illnesses.

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