Microbiota and Epilepsy

The relationship between the gut-brain axis is bidirectional, and this connection plays a role in many neurological diseases. In recent studies, examples such as differences in intestinal microbiota in patients with resistant and susceptible epilepsy, the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet in treatment, and seizure control in a patient with microbiota transplantation suggest that intestinal microbiota play an important role in epilepsy patients. The fact that epilepsy and gut microbiota are affected by circadian rhythm supports the close relationship between them. Approximately one-third of epilepsy patients are resistant cases in whom seizure control cannot be achieved with current treatment options. This relationship between the gut and the brain seems to be an area that needs to be examined in order to develop new treatment strategies and is promising for resistant epilepsy cases. New studies on intestinal microbiota may enable the development of alternative treatment options in epilepsy patients.