Animal Models of Acquired Epilepsy and Tauopathies

Abstract

The tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases in which aggregates of the hyperphosphorylated form of the microtubule-associated protein, tau, are believed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis. Many of the tauopathies are associated with an increased incidence of development of epilepsy. Deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau have also been documented pathologically in animal models of epilepsy, and in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who have undergone epilepsy surgery. Pathological aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau can occur in either primary neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), or develop following an acquired brain insult, such as ..