Impact of Stress on Epilepsy: Focus on Neuroinflammation-A Mini Review

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Claudia Espinosa-Garcia, Emory University; Helena Zeleke, Emory University; Asheebo Rojas, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-04-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms22084061
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 8
• Grant/Funding Information: This review was funded by a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awarded to C.E.G., grant ID 28380.
• Keywords: depression; priming; Chemistry; Environmental enrichment; Spontaneous recurrent seizures; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; microglia; Animal model; Major depressive disorder; epilepsy; Social isolation; Science & Technology; Blood-brain barrier; NLRP3 inflammasome; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; seizures; neuroinflammation; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; psychiatric comorbidities in epilepsy; Physical exercise; Physical Sciences; Temporal-lobe epilepsy; stress
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Health Sciences, Pharmacology; Chemistry, Biochemistry; Psychology, Behavioral

Abstract

Epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide, is characterized by recurrent seizures and subsequent brain damage. Despite strong evidence supporting a deleterious impact on seizure occurrence and outcome severity, stress is an overlooked component in people with epilepsy. With regard to stressor duration and timing, acute stress can be protective in epileptogenesis, while chronic stress often promotes seizure occurrence in epilepsy patients. Preclinical research suggests that chronic stress promotes neuroinflammation and leads to a depressive state. Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity in people with epilepsy, resulting in a poor quality of life. Here, we summarize studies investigating acute and chronic stress as a seizure trigger and an important factor that worsens epilepsy outcomes and psychiatric comorbidities. Mechanistic insight into the impact of stress on epilepsy may create a window of opportunity for future interventions targeting neuroinflammation‐related disorders.