The Role of GABAergic Interneurons in the Cortex and Hippocampus in the Development of Epilepsy

This review analyzes contemporary data on the possible roles of different classes of interneurons in the hippocampus and cortex in the pathogenesis of temporal epilepsy in humans – one of the commonest forms of epilepsy. Data obtained from humans (results of post mortem morphological investigation of patients' brain tissues and electrophysiological experiments on brain slices collected at neurosurgical procedures) are considered, along with results from studies of in vivo and in vitro animal models of temporal epilepsy. Systematic analysis of impairments to inhibitory processes in temporal epilepsy show that these result from the selective death of particular interneuron populations and from functional impairments to the operation of important interneurons. Understanding of the concrete roles of different classes of interneurons in epilepsy is required for the development of new and effective treatment methods for this disease.

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