Where are we at developing disease-modifying therapies for acquired epilepsies?

In this video, Professor Dr. Amy Brooks-Kayal outlines the field’s shift from seizure control to true disease modification in epilepsy. She reviews emerging gene-directed therapies for monogenic epilepsies, and emphasizes the challenge of scaling these successes to more common acquired epilepsies (such as after traumatic brain injury). She discusses the identification of high-risk patients post-injury, tracking maladaptive changes, and intervening before epilepsy becomes severe or pharmacoresistant. Key signaling pathways implicated in epileptogenesis, such as mTOR and JAK-STAT, are also highlighted as central components for potential future therapeutics.

Professor Amy Brooks-Kayal, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAES Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology Andrew John Gabor, M.D., Ph.D. Presidential Endowed Chair University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, USA