International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Qingyun Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Dynamics and Control, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: neurodynamics; data-driven modeling; epilepsy; network analysis; neuromodulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Epilepsy is a clinical syndrome with recurrence tendency. Recurrent seizures will not only bring great pain to patients, but also bring great burden to families and society. At present, some patients cannot control seizures through drug treatment and surgical resection, so neural regulation strategies are considered. However, the pathogenesis of epilepsy is not clear, which may involve genetic factors, cellular mechanisms, cerebral cortex, and even the whole nervous system, so that regulation strategies have not yet played their expected advantages.

The development of neurodynamics urges us to explore nervous system diseases by using dynamical theory. The view that epilepsy is a dynamical disease has been widely recognized. The Special Issue of Neural Dynamics and Regulation in Epilepsy aims to explore the dynamical and regulation mechanism related to epileptic diseases with the help of the complex nonlinear dynamical characteristics of the nervous system, so as to find feasible and effective methods for the prediction and treatment of seizures. We welcome contributions from authors who pay attention to epilepsy. Some of the highlighted topics are:

Prediction and early warning of epileptic seizures;
Dynamical modeling and mechanism of epilepsy network driven by data;
Dynamical regulation strategies related to the treatment of epilepsy.

Prof. Dr. Qingyun Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

epilepsy
neurodynamics
data-driven modeling
network analysis
dynamical mechanism
neural regulation strategies

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

23 pages, 4042 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamical Mechanism Analysis of Three Neuroregulatory Strategies on the Modulation of Seizures

by Honghui Zhang, Zhuan Shen, Yuzhi Zhao, Lin Du and Zichen Deng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13652; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113652 - 7 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1732

Abstract

This paper attempts to explore and compare the regulatory mechanisms of optogenetic stimulation (OS), deep brain stimulation (DBS) and electromagnetic induction on epilepsy. Based on the Wilson–Cowan model, we first demonstrate that the external input received by excitatory and inhibitory neural populations can induce rich dynamic bifurcation behaviors such as Hopf bifurcation, and make the system exhibit epileptic and normal states. Then, both OS and DBS are shown to be effective in controlling the epileptic state to a normal low-level state, and the stimulus parameters have a broad effective range. However, electromagnetic induction cannot directly control epilepsy to this desired state, even if it can significantly reduce the oscillation frequency of neural populations. One main difference worth noting is that the high spatiotemporal specificity of OS allows it to target inhibitory neuronal populations, whereas DBS and electromagnetic induction can only stimulate excitatory as well as inhibitory neuronal populations together. Next, the propagation behavior of epilepsy is explored under a typical three-node feedback loop structure. An increase in coupling strength accelerates and exacerbates epileptic activity in other brain regions. Finally, OS and DBS applied to the epileptic focus play similar positive roles in controlling the behavior of the area of seizure propagation, while electromagnetic induction still only achieves unsatisfactory effects. It is hoped that these dynamical results can provide insights into the treatment of epilepsy as well as other neurological disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Dynamics and Regulation in Epilepsy)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 3379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pre- and Post-Endurance Training Mitigates the Rat Pilocarpine-Induced Status Epilepticus and Epileptogenesis-Associated Deleterious Consequences

by Michaela Shishmanova-Doseva, Katerina Georgieva, Yordanka Uzunova, Lyubka Ioanidu, Milena Atanasova, Zlatina Nenchovska and Jana Tchekalarova

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13188; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113188 - 29 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1397

Abstract

Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures and neurobiological, physiological, mood, and cognitive consequences. In the last decade, the beneficial effects of regular physical exercise have been investigated in patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as epilepsy. However, data on its beneficial effects and underlying mechanisms are still insufficient. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of endurance training, applied before and after pilocarpine (Pilo) administration, on status epilepticus (SE) severity, and its relation to epileptogenesis deleterious consequences during the chronic epileptic phase. Long-term aerobic training, applied four weeks before SE and eight weeks after SE, elevated the threshold to induce SE and reduced spontaneous motor seizures. The protective effect of this alternative approach on seizure susceptibility resulted in improved memory responses, and alleviated comorbid depression in epileptic rats. The exercised epileptic rats had improved markers of oxidative stress by decreasing lipid peroxidation and increasing the levels of glutathione and activity of superoxide dismutase in the rat hippocampus. Aerobic training managed to ameliorate the neuroinflammation by decreasing the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the hippocampus. Our results suggest that regular physical training predisposes the subjects to crucial plastic changes, leading to increased resistance to SE and the development of epileptogenesis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Dynamics and Regulation in Epilepsy)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Neural Dynamics and Regulation in Epilepsy

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (2 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI