Neurobiology of Epileptogenesis in the Temporal Lobe

Molecular and network changes that are proposed to underlie the development of spontaneous seizures are best understood in subjects with symptomatic aetiology for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Symptomatic TLE typically develops in three phases (Fig. 1): brain damage → latency phase or epileptogenesis → appearance of spontaneous seizures or epilepsy which can be easy to control or turn out to be drug-refractory over the time. According to some authors, the primary epileptogenesis is followed by a secondary epileptogenesis; that is, activity of primary focus leads to the appearance of an independent secondary focus over the time [61]. It is still controversial, however, whether and at which conditions secondary epileptogenesis can occur in the human brain.