Effects of the ketogenic diet on neurogenesis after kainic acid-induced seizures in mice.

Abstract	The ketogenic diet (KD) remains a therapy in search of explanation although it is an established treatment of intractable epilepsy. Recent studies suggest that the KD may be both anticonvulsant and antiepileptogenic. Epileptic seizures have been shown to stimulate the proliferation rate of neuronal progenitor cells in adult animals, which may be related to epileptogenesis. It is known that calorie restriction (CR) increases neurogenesis. The KD was originally formulated to reproduce the biochemical changes seen upon fasting (extreme CR). Thus, we investigated the effects of the KD on neurogenesis after kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures in mice. In the present study, quantitative analysis of BrdU labeling revealed a significant increase in the proliferation rate of neuronal progenitor cells after KA-induced seizures in the KD-fed mice. This finding may provide a clue to explain how the KD exerts antiepileptogenic effects although further studies are mandatory to elucidate the relationship between seizure-induced neurogenesis augmented by the KD and its antiepileptogenic properties. In conclusion, our results suggest that the KD enhances neurogenesis, which may be related to its beneficial effects on epilepsy.
Authors	Young Se Kwon, Sang-Wuk Jeong, Dong Wook Kim, Eun Sil Choi, Byong Kwan Son
Journal	Epilepsy research (Epilepsy Res) Vol. 78 Issue 2-3 Pg. 186-94 (Feb 2008) ISSN: 0920-1211 [Print] Netherlands
PMID	18201870 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References	Antimetabolites Convulsants DNA-Binding Proteins Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Nerve Tissue Proteins NeuN protein, mouse Nuclear Proteins Bromodeoxyuridine Kainic Acid 3-Hydroxybutyric Acid
Topics	3-Hydroxybutyric Acid (blood) Animals Antimetabolites Bromodeoxyuridine Cell Proliferation (drug effects) Convulsants DNA-Binding Proteins Dentate Gyrus (cytology, pathology) Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (metabolism) Hippocampus (cytology, pathology) Immunohistochemistry Kainic Acid Male Mice Mice, Inbred ICR Nerve Tissue Proteins (metabolism) Neurons (drug effects, physiology) Nuclear Proteins (metabolism) Seizures (chemically induced, diet therapy, pathology) Tissue Fixation

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.

Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!