Adult Neurogenesis in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Review of Recent Animal and Human Studies

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is a neurological condition characterized by the occurrence of spontaneous recurrent seizures originating from mesial structures involving the hippocampus within the temporal lobe. This condition is often associated with pathological features in the hippocampus such as neuronal cell loss, widening of the granule cell layer, astrogliosis and mossy fibre spouting. At present, the mechanisms underlying these pathological features are unclear. However, recent advances in adult neurogenesis studies in mTLE animals and patients suggest that newly generated neurons may contribute to the pathogenesis of ongoing epileptogenesis. This article will review the recent animal and human studies on adult neurogenesis in mTLE and discuss how these results suggests that adult endogenous neurogenesis may not always be reparative in the mTLE and may be targeted in new therapeutic strategies for mTLE.