CRC TRR 3: Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsies

Basic data for this project

Description

This transregional consortium of laboratories at the universities of Bonn, Berlin, Magdeburg, Freiburg and Jerusalem is focussed on two main areas: (a) pathomechanisms of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and (b) mechanisms of memory and emotional processing in the mesolimbic system and their dysfunctions. Major issues are: Which are the cellular and molecular changes that lead to an increased potential to generate seizures? - Genetics of the epilepsies, neurotransmitter-receptors, ion channels, intracellular signal transduction molecules, extracellular matrix components, and altered glial cell properties. How do structural and functional changes in the brain develop during the course of epilepsy, and what are the mechanisms responsible for chronification of the disease? - Pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Ammon's horn sclerosis, structural plasticity, functional plasticity, neurogenesis, animal models - Studies focus on both the amygdala as well as on the hippocampus. Development of new therapeutic strategies - Modified surgical procedures, seizure prediction, identification of pharmacological targets, implantation of ES-cell derived neural precursors. Mechanisms of memory and emotional processing in the mesolimbic system and their dysfunctions - Memory, emotion, perception, functional circuits within the human limbic system.