Distinct circuit mechanisms in epilepsies

Project Summary/Abstract
Epilepsy affects more than 50 million individuals globally and remains a significant public health challenge, with
one-third of patients experiencing drug-resistant seizures. Traditional models focusing on excitation-inhibition
imbalance have proven insufficient to explain the full heterogeneity of epilepsy subtypes, highlighting the urgent
need for deeper mechanistic insights at the level of neural circuits.
To address this need, we propose the 2025 SFN Pre-Meeting on Distinct Circuit Mechanisms in Epilepsies, a
two-day scientific conference to be held November 13–14, 2025, at the University of California, San Diego.
Aligned with the NINDS mission to advance fundamental knowledge of the brain and nervous system, this
meeting will focus on basic neuroscience approaches to understanding circuit-level dysfunction in epilepsy.
The conference will include several thematic sessions, including (1) abnormal circuit development, (2) ion
channel dynamics in networks, (3) glial contributions to instability, and (4) network mechanisms underlying
comorbidities. It will bring together leading investigators across molecular, systems, and computational
neuroscience, with presentations spanning in vitro, in vivo, and human models. Trainee poster sessions,
structured breakout groups, and mentorship opportunities will further enhance scientific exchange and
collaboration.
By promoting cross-disciplinary integration and mechanistic rigor, this meeting will serve as a catalyst for novel
discoveries in epilepsy research, directly supporting NINDS’s strategic priorities in circuit neuroscience and
neurological disorder mechanisms.

Grant Number: 1R13NS147886-01
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Mark Beenhakker