Molecular mechanisms of topiramate and its clinical value in epilepsy

Epilepsy affects more than 70 million individuals worldwide [1], and is considered a chronic neurological disease characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures due to abnormal synchronous neuronal firings in the brain [2, 3]. One of the most important mechanisms underlying epilepsy and seizure is an excitation/inhibition imbalance caused by altered ion channel function and/or synaptic transmission [4, 5]. Numerous voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels are associated with a wide spectrum of epilepsies, giving rise to many potential therapeutic targets [6, 7].

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