Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the fourth most common disorder of the Central Nervous System. It occurs in patients of all ages but is most commonly experienced in childhood or late adulthood (Shaikh et al., 2018). It is characterized by recurrent, spontaneous episodes of excessive electrical discharge, in the brain, called seizures. (Cunliffe, 2015). The effects of epilepsy range from temporary loss of consciousness, or abnormal motor activity observed in minor involuntary movements, to whole-body convulsions (Cunliffe et al., 2012). Problems could also be psychological in nature, experienced by patients as anxiety and depression (Shaikh et al., 2018). Persistent, prolonged seizures often cause further damage to the CNS, affecting not just the quality of life for patients but also for their carers, thus revealing the far-reaching effects of the disorder. While brain abnormalities and the manifestation of brain lesions, such as brain tumors, do play roles in triggering epileptic symptoms, many forms of epilepsy are due to genetic factors (Reid et al., 2009). About 1% of the general population suffers from epilepsy but one-third of patients are unable to benefit from available treatment due to the nature of their disorder (Cunliffe et al., 2015). Some patients are unable to respond to anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) due to some level of pharmacoresistance while others experience adverse side effects. This necessitates the exploration of new pathways through which epilepsy may occur and development of novel therapies to combat epilepsy with greater efficacy.