The identification of mechanisms transforming normal to seizure-generating tissue after
brain injury is key to developing new antiepileptogenic treatments.
MicroRNAs (
miRNAs) may act as regulators and potential treatment targets for epileptogenesis. Here, we undertook a meta-analysis of changes in
miRNA expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) following an epileptogenic insult in three
epilepsy models. We identified 26
miRNAs significantly differentially expressed during epileptogenesis, and five differentially expressed in chronic
epilepsy. Of these, 13 were not identified in any of the individual studies. To assess the role of these
miRNAs, we predicted their
mRNA targets and then filtered the list to include only target genes expressed in DG and negatively correlated with
miRNA expression. Functional enrichment analysis of
mRNA targets of
miRNAs dysregulated during epileptogenesis suggested a role for molecular processes related to
inflammation and synaptic function. Our results identify new
miRNAs associated with epileptogenesis from existing data, highlighting the utility of meta-analysis in maximizing value from preclinical data.