Intestinal Microbiota as an Alternative Therapeutic Target for Epilepsy

• Main Authors: Jiaying Wu, Yuyu Zhang, Hongyu Yang, Yuefeng Rao, Jing Miao, Xiaoyang Lu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
• Series: Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9032809

Epilepsy is one of the most widespread serious neurological disorders, and an aetiological explanation has not been fully identified. In recent decades, a growing body of evidence has highlighted the influential role of autoimmune mechanisms in the progression of epilepsy. The hygiene hypothesis draws people’s attention to the association between gut microbes and the onset of multiple immune disorders. It is also believed that, in addition to influencing digestive system function, symbiotic microbiota can bidirectionally and reversibly impact the programming of extraintestinal pathogenic immune responses during autoimmunity. Herein, we investigate the concept that the diversity of parasitifer sensitivity to commensal microbes and the specific constitution of the intestinal microbiota might impact host susceptibility to epilepsy through promotion of Th17 cell populations in the central nervous system (CNS).