Topiramate alters the gut microbiome to aid in its anti-seizure effect.

Introduction: There is a growing interest in the role of the gut microbiota in epilepsy, however, it is unclear if anti-seizure medications (ASMs) play a role in the gut-brain axis. To test this, we investigated the impact of the ASM topiramate on the gut microbiome of mice.

Methods: C57BL/6J mice were administered topiramate in their drinking water for 5 weeks.

Gut metabolite S-equol ameliorates hyperexcitability in entorhinal cortex neurons following Theiler murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced acute seizures.

Objective: A growing body of evidence indicates a potential role for the gut-brain axis as a novel therapeutic target in treating seizures. The present study sought to characterize the gut microbiome in Theiler murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV)-induced seizures, and to evaluate the effect of microbial metabolite S-equol on neuronal physiology as well as TMEV-induced neuronal hyperexcitability ex vivo.

Methods: We infected C57BL/6J mice with TMEV and monitored the development of acute behavioral seizures 0-7 days postinfection (dpi).