Current opinion in neurology
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Curr. Opin. Neurol. · Apr 2015
ReviewEpilepsy and malformations of cortical development: new developments.
Malformations of cortical development (MCD) are increasingly recognized as causes of epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders. This review summarizes recent developments in the classification, specifically focusing on how genetic and cellular pathway advances are changing our understanding of MCD and how this applies to clinical care. ⋯ The classification of MCD in epilepsy has progressed from simple correlations with syndromes and imaging data to molecular pathways underscoring the significance of common mechanism in brain maldevelopment and epilepsy.
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Curr. Opin. Neurol. · Apr 2015
ReviewResting-state functional connectivity in epilepsy: growing relevance for clinical decision making.
Seizures produce dysfunctional, maladaptive networks, making functional connectivity an ideal technique for identifying complex brain effects of epilepsy. We review the current status of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) research, highlighting its potential added value to epilepsy surgery programs. ⋯ The role of rsFC remains limited in most clinical settings, but shows great promise for identifying epileptic circuits and foci, predicting outcomes following surgery, and explaining cognitive deficits and psychiatric symptoms of epilepsy. RsFC has demonstrated that even focal epilepsies constitute a network and brain systems disorder. By providing a tool to both identify and characterize the brain network impact of epileptiform activity, rsFC can make a strong contribution to presurgical algorithms in epilepsy.
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This review discusses the ways that rodent models of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been used to gain critical information about convergent molecular pathways, the mechanisms underlying altered microcircuit structure and function, and as a screen for potential cutting edge-treatments for ASDs. ⋯ Rodent models of ASDs coupled to new emerging technologies for genome editing, cell-specific functional and structural imaging, and neuronal activity manipulation will yield critical insights into ASD pathogenesis and fuel the emergence of new treatments.