{"paper_id":"7512db94-a51f-4043-8f39-bbbe36c8cbbf","body_text":"Mechanisms Underlying Catamenial Epilepsy\nDescription\nCatamenial epilepsy is a condition that affects\napproximately 30% of women diagnosed with\nepilepsy, who experience cyclical exacerbation of\nseizures before, during and after the initiation if\ntheir menstrual cycles. Studies have shown that the\nseizures are caused by the fluctuations in the level\nof\nsteroidal\nhormones such as estradiol,\nneurosteroids and progesterone. It has been evident\nthat estradiol contributes to the excitation of CA1\npyramidal neurons in the hippocampus which leads\nto\nthe\noccurrence of perimenstrual seizure\nexacerbations. Furthermore, studies have also\nshown that adrenergic neurosteroids such as\ntestosterone, interfere with the ovarian cycle.\nTestosterone also, increases the chance of\namygdala-kindled seizures and reduces the seizure\nthreshold, and therefore, it leads to catamenial\nseizures. Researchers have now identified that a\ndecrease in the level of progesterone before, during\nand after the initiation of the menstrual cycle,\nresults in perimenstrual seizure exacerbation in\nwomen diagnosed with epilepsy, as in normal\nindividuals,\nprogesterone is converted to\nallopregnanolone which enhances the inhibitory\neffect of GABA on the receptor. While in most\ncatamenial epileptic patients an increase of 50% in\nthe medication is common, this literature, examines\nthe\neffect\nof\nprolonged usage of cyclical\nprogesterone therapy in women suffering from\ncatamenial epilepsy.\nFiles\nCatamenial Epilepsy _ Bardia Haghighirad_ 2021.pdf\nFiles\n(343.8 kB)\n| Name | Size | Download all |\n|---|---|---|\n|\nmd5:29aa929ea646bc4d3a4276f02e75703d\n|\n343.8 kB | Preview Download |","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}