Mechanisms of Focal Epileptogenesis

This chapter reviews the mechanisms of epileptogenesis that characterize acquired focal epilepsies and their relevance to the changes that occur in BTRE, particularly for those tumors most often involved in epileptogenesis, such as the long-term epilepsy-associated tumor (LEAT). We primarily consider data derived from animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy and posttraumatic epilepsy. We also examine observations from postsurgical tissue obtained from patients with and without LEATs who were operated on to cure pharmacoresistant focal forms of epilepsy. In particular, we discuss mechanisms of cellular death, inflammation, blood-brain barrier alteration, gliosis, neurogenesis, and tissue reorganization associated with different phases of epileptogenesis.