The Gut Microbiome and Epilepsy

Overview

Journal EBioMedicine

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2019 Jun 5

PMID 31160269

Citations 80

Authors

Maria Dahlin

Stefanie Prast-Nielsen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Recently, evidence from both animal studies and human cases has emerged that a dysbiosis in the gut may be associated with certain forms of epilepsy. The ketogenic diet is an alternative treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, although its precise mechanism of action has been unclear. It has now been shown that the ketogenic diet changes the composition and function of the gut microbiome in epilepsy patients. Studies in mice have demonstrated that the gut microbiota was necessary for the therapeutic effect of the diet and a mechanism of action has been proposed, providing new potential strategies for treatment. Further studies are needed to confirm the clinical relevance of this discovery. Below, we will discuss the scientific evidence of the role of the microbiome in seizure disorders, the impact of the ketogenic diet on the intestinal microbiota as well as the interactions described between commonly used antiepileptic drugs and intestinal microbial communities. We also discuss the potential of modulators of the gut microbiota as possible future anti-seizure therapeutics.

Citing Articles

The comparison of gut microbiota between different types of epilepsy in children.

Fang S, Hu N, Zhou C, You J, Wu L, Pan X Microb Cell Fact. 2025; 24(1):64.

PMID: 40082906 PMC: 11908097. DOI: 10.1186/s12934-025-02684-2.

Berberine Alleviates Kainic Acid-Induced Acute Epileptic Seizures in Mice via Reshaping Gut Microbiota-Associated Lipid Metabolism.

Dai W, Zhu Y, Jiang Z, Xiang Y, Mao X, Liu Z CNS Neurosci Ther. 2025; 31(2):e70253.

PMID: 39915895 PMC: 11802332. DOI: 10.1111/cns.70253.

Characterizing the fecal microbiome in patients on the ketogenic diet for drug resistant epilepsy.

Freibauer A, Pai N, Ramachandrannair R Heliyon. 2025; 11(1):e41631.

PMID: 39866415 PMC: 11758554. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41631.

Changes in gut flora in patients with epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

He X, Zhang Y Front Microbiol. 2024; 15:1480022.

PMID: 39611090 PMC: 11602489. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1480022.

Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Neurodevelopmental Impairments: Microbiome, Gut, and Brain Entanglements.

Sha C, Jin Z, Ku S, Kogosov A, Yu S, Bergese S Biomolecules. 2024; 14(10).

PMID: 39456187 PMC: 11505939. DOI: 10.3390/biom14101254.

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