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Caloric Restriction and Dietary Treatments of Epilepsy: Mechanistic Insights for Drug Discovery

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Antiepileptic Drug Discovery

Part of the book series: Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology ((MIPT))

Abstract

Based on the observation that fasting reduces the number and severity of convulsive seizures, a few different eating regimes have emerged to treat epilepsy. These are the ketogenic diet, medium-chain triglyceride regime, modified Atkins diet and low glycemic index treatment, all of which have been used clinically. These nutritional procedures are effective and have few adverse collateral actions. A related diet is caloric restriction, which can be accomplished by several methods. Caloric restriction has been shown to possess anticonvulsive and, most importantly, antiepileptogenic properties. But there are no clinical studies exploring if caloric restriction by itself reduces the number and severity of seizures. However, there is some data suggesting that caloric restriction improves the efficacy of the ketogenic and modified Atkins diets. Its mechanism(s) of action remain(s) mysterious, although several possibilities have been suggested. Each of its proposed mechanisms of action can be targeted for the discovery of drugs that prevent or modify epilepsy. This chapter briefly describes every one of the food modifications in current clinical use or that has been studied using animal models. Much evidence indicating that caloric restriction induced by food restriction or intermittent fasting is antiepileptic or antiepileptogenic is discussed. The possible mechanisms of action of the ketogenic diet and caloric restriction are presented in short. Lastly, a brief method for performing a type of caloric restriction is detailed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Nutrición Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, Mexico

    Karla G. Carvajal Aguilera & Bryan V. Phillips Farfán

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  1. Karla G. Carvajal Aguilera
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  2. Bryan V. Phillips Farfán
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Correspondence to Bryan V. Phillips Farfán .

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  1. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Bioactivos (LIDeB) Faculty of Exact Sciences, National University of La Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Alan Talevi

  2. Department of Pharmacobiology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico City, Mexico

    Luisa Rocha

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Aguilera, K.G.C., Farfán, B.V.P. (2016). Caloric Restriction and Dietary Treatments of Epilepsy: Mechanistic Insights for Drug Discovery. In: Talevi, A., Rocha, L. (eds) Antiepileptic Drug Discovery. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6355-3_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6355-3_9

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