Glia-neuron interactions in epilepsy: Inflammatory mediators

P>Neurotransmitters released from active synapses stimulate receptors on glia, which produce a neuromodulatory response by gliotransmitter release. When a local inflammatory reaction is induced in the brain by epileptogenic events, microglia and astrocytes are activated and release proinflammatory mediators, consequently the neuron-glia signaling may be perturbed, thereby provoking increased neuronal network excitability and thus contributing to seizures. For an expanded treatment of this topic see Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies, Fourth Edition (Noebels JL, Avoli M, Rogawski MA, Olsen RW, Delgado-Escueta AV, eds) published by Oxford University Press (available on the National Library of Medicine Bookshelf [NCBI] at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books)