The role of ATP in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Diego Marques Moreira

Abstract

Epilepsy affects about 50 million people worldwide, being a Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (ELT), the most common type, making up about 40% of the reported cases and presenting 70 to 80% complex partial seizures originating in the temporal lobe, mainly in the hippocampus and amygdala region. The cases of TLE, approximately 25% are patients who have seizures that cannot be controlled by antiepileptic drugs, that is, they are refractory cases. Thus, in several studies, alternatives are sought that may replace the current situation in some cases, the refractories, among the diversity of research on the subject there are researches with purinergic receptors of type P2X7. A group of studies on the incidence of P2X7 expression (P2X7r) in experimental models of multiple neurological degenerative diseases including epilepsy, another study that had a significant increase of P2X7 in mouse brains soon after the induced status epilepticus (SE) by pilocarpine or kainic acid sustaining the hypothesis of the P2X7r participation of neurodegenerative posts presented in epilepsy. Another study shows that the antagonism of P2X7 receptors with Brilliant Blue G (BBG) was able to trigger neural death by epileptic status (SE). This paper aims to review papers and provide information from several studies on the role of the P2X7 receptor in epilepsy. It is a review paper and as a method uses searches made in physical literary works as well as bibliographic databases (Pubmed and Scielo). This study shows that the anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effect through the blockade of P2X type receptors may be a future target for the treatment of epileptic patients refractory to current conventional treatments. Neuroprotective action may be crucial for crisis protection, with a possible opening for the use of receptor blockers concomitantly with treatments already in place. It is concluded that although several studies show relationships between P2X7 receptors and epilepsy, there is still a need for further studies on the subject to clarify the physiological and pathological effects of these receptors.