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Review
. 2022 Dec 21;23(2):105-112.
doi: 10.1177/15357597221137418. eCollection 2023 Mar-Apr.

What Causes Seizures in Neurocysticercosis?

Teresa Julieta Simões Steyn  1 , Amalia Naita Awala  1 , Anja de Lange  1 , Joseph Valentino Raimondo  1
Affiliations
Review

What Causes Seizures in Neurocysticercosis?

Teresa Julieta Simões Steyn et al. Epilepsy Curr. .

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most prevalent parasitic infection of the central nervous system. It is caused by the presence of larvae of the cestode Taenia solium in the brain. The most common symptom of NCC is seizures, and it is widely considered the world's leading cause of preventable epilepsy. Despite the prevalence and impact of NCC, a thorough, mechanistic understanding of seizure generation is still lacking. In this review, we address the question "What causes seizures in NCC?" by summarizing and discussing the major theories that seek to explain the seizurogenic and epileptogenic processes in this disorder. In addition, we highlight the potential for recent advances in disease modeling to help accelerate progress in this area.

Keywords: Taenia solium; cestode; inflammation; neurocysticercosis; seizures.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The life cycle of Taenia solium.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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