
Epilepsy Research
Our goal is to
a) understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of epileptogenesis after traumatic brain injury,
b) to develop interventions to prevent epileptogenesis or alleviate the disease severity.
Epilepsy is a serious and common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, which are caused by abnormal synchronized neuronal discharges. As many as 6 million people in Europe currently have active epilepsy. This has major implications not only for health, but also for independent living, education and employment, mobility, and personal relationships.
Our research goal is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of epileptogenesis after traumatic brain injury and to develop interventions to prevent epileptogenesis or alleviate the disease severity.
Research interest
- to develop clinically relevant models of acquired epilepsy
- to understand the molecular mechanisms of acquired epileptogenesis
- to identify novel treatment targets for antiepileptogenesis and disease modification
- to find biomarkers for epileptogenesis and functional outcome after brain injury
Main achievements
- development of new clinically relevant models of epilepsy, in which epileptogenic process is initiated by status epilepticus or traumatic brain injury
- the first demonstration of disease-modification of the epileptogenic process by pharmacotherapy
- identification of mechanisms of molecular changes during epileptogenesis (ongoing)
- multimodal MRI imaging of neuronal tissue changes during epileptogenic process (together with Prof. Olli Gröhn’s research group at A.I. Virtanen Institute )
Methodological approach
Most of the research is done in experimental models of epilepsy. We also examine tissue from patients, work we do in collaboration with the Pathology and Neurosurgery Departments of the University Hospital. In our studies we apply various methods that range from classical neuroanatomy, molecular analysis (gene array, proteomics, bioinformatics), single-cell electrophysiology to behavior and magnetic resonance imaging of epileptic process.
Keywords
Group members - UEF
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Asla Pitkänen Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Xavier Ekolle Ndode Ekane Senior Researcher, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Noora Puhakka Tutkijatohtori postdoctoral researcher, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for M...
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Ivette Bañuelos Cabrera Project Researcher, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Leonardo Lara-Valderrábano Postdoctoral Researcher
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Jenni Kyyriäinen Project Researcher, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Anssi Lipponen Apurahatutkija, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Natallie Kajevu Nuorempi tutkija, Early Stage Researcher, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for...
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Mette Heiskanen Nuorempi tutkija, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Niina Lapinlampi Apurahatutkija, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Shalini Das Gupta Apurahatutkija, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Pedro Andrade Apurahatutkija, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Jarmo Hartikainen Laborantti, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
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Merja Lukkari Erikoislaboratoriomestari, Technician, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Mo...
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Eleonora Tikkanen Financial Secretary
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Elina Hämäläinen Project Researcher, Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences
Leader(s)
Senior Researchers
Post-doctoral Researchers
Doctoral Students
Technicians
Supporting Staff
Project researcher
Cooperation partners
Publications by the research group members
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Increased expression of miR142 and miR155 in glial and immune cells after traumatic brain injury may contribute to neuroinflammation via astrocyte activation Korotkov, Anatoly; Puhakka, Noora; Gupta, Shalini Das; Vuokila, Niina; Broekaart, Diede W M; Anink, Jasper J; Heiskanen, Mette; Karttunen, Jenni; van Scheppingen, Jackelien; Huitinga, Inge; Mills, James D; van Vliet, Erwin A; Pitkänen, Asla; Aronica, Eleonora. 2020. Increased expression of miR142 and miR155 in glial and immune cells after traumatic brain injury may contribute to neuroinflammation via astrocyte activation Brain pathology 30 5: 897-912. 2020
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Biomarkers For Epileptogenesis And Its Treatment Engel, Jerome Jr; Pitkänen, Asla. 2020. Biomarkers For Epileptogenesis And Its Treatment Neuropharmacology 167: 107735. 2020
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Early increase in cortical T2 relaxation is a prognostic biomarker for the evolution of severe cortical damage, but not for epileptogenesis, after experimental traumatic brain injury Manninen, Eppu Matias; Chary, Karthik; Lapinlampi, Niina; Andrade, Pedro; Paananen, Tomi; Sierra Lopez, Alejandra; Tohka, Jussi; Gröhn, Olli; Pitkanen, Asla. 2020. Early increase in cortical T2 relaxation is a prognostic biomarker for the evolution of severe cortical damage, but not for epileptogenesis, after experimental traumatic brain injury Journal of neurotrauma [Online ahead of print]: 1-50. 2020
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Postinjury weight rather than cognitive or behavioral impairment predicts development of posttraumatic epilepsy after lateral fluid-percussion injury in rats Lapinlampi, N; Andrade, P; Paananen, T; Hämäläinen, E; Ekolle Ndode-Ekane, X; Puhakka, N; Pitkänen, A. 2020. Postinjury weight rather than cognitive or behavioral impairment predicts development of posttraumatic epilepsy after lateral fluid-percussion injury in rats Epilepsia First published: 12 August 2020: 1-19. 2020
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Plau/Plaur double-deficiency did not worsen lesion severity or vascular integrity after traumatic brain injury Kyyriäinen, Jenni; Tapiala, Jesse; Lipponen, Anssi; Ekolle Ndode-Ekane, Xavier; Pitkänen, Asla. 2020. Plau/Plaur double-deficiency did not worsen lesion severity or vascular integrity after traumatic brain injury Neuroscience letters 729: 134935. 2020
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Biomarkers for posttraumatic epilepsy Pitkänen, Asla; Paananen, Tomi; Kyyriäinen, Jenni; Das Gupta, Shalini; Heiskanen, Mette; Vuokila, Niina; Bañuelos-Cabrera, Ivette; Lapinlampi, Niina; Kajevu, Natallie; Andrade, Pedro; Ciszek, Robert; Lara-Valderrábano, Leonardo; Ekolle Ndode-Ekane, Xavier; Puhakka, Noora. 2020. Biomarkers for posttraumatic epilepsy Epilepsy and behavior [Article in press]: 1-22. 2020
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Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction-based quantification of circulating microRNAs using small RNA concentration normalization Das Gupta, Shalini; Ndode-Ekane, Xavier Ekolle; Puhakka, Noora; Pitkänen, Asla. 2020. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction-based quantification of circulating microRNAs using small RNA concentration normalization Scientific reports 10: 9012. 2020
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Kainate receptors regulate development of glutamatergic synaptic circuitry in the rodent amygdala Ryazantseva, Maria; Englund, Jonas; Shintyapina, Alexandra; Huupponen, Johanna; Shteinikov, Vasilii; Pitkänen, Asla; Partanen, Juha; Lauri, Sari. 2020. Kainate receptors regulate development of glutamatergic synaptic circuitry in the rodent amygdala eLife 9: e52798. 2020
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Long-lasting blood-brain barrier dysfunction and neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury van Vliet, Erwin A; Ndode-Ekane, Xavier Ekolle; Lehto, Lauri J; Gorter, Jan A; Andrade, Pedro; Aronica, Eleonora; Gröhn, Olli; Pitkänen, Asla. 2020. Long-lasting blood-brain barrier dysfunction and neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury Neurobiology of disease 145: 1-20. 2020
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Chronic Regulation of miR-124-3p in the Perilesional Cortex After Experimental and Human TBI Vuokila, Niina; Aronica, Eleonora; Korotkov, Anatoly; van Vliet, Erwin Alexander; Nuzhat, Salma; Puhakka, Noora; Pitkänen, Asla. 2020. Chronic Regulation of miR-124-3p in the Perilesional Cortex After Experimental and Human TBI International journal of molecular sciences 21 7: 2418. 2020