Abstracts

Summary: Patients with epilepsy have an extraordinarily high rate of major depressive disorder, leading some to speculate that the two problems may involve similar pathophysiological processes. While the neurobiology of depression is far from clear, one possible area of overlap is the altered hippocampal neurogenesis seen after seizures and in animal models of depression. Recent work has suggested that depression may lead to BDNF-dependent changes in neurogenesis that are reversed with antidepressant treatment. The production of newborn neurons within the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus is also disrupted following seizures, thereby suggesting a possible role for neurogenesis to mediate both the comorbid major illnesses. This workshop will seek to describe the scientific endeavors of both epileptologists and psychiatrists, potentially helping to increase the dialog between our highly interdependent fields.