Stress and Epilepsy: The role of the HPA axis in modulating brain network dynamics

癫痫是一种非常常见的疾病，影响了近1%的英国人口。当要求癫痫患者说出癫痫发作的诱因时，“压力”是最常见的（近40%的被调查者）。为了探索这种复杂的相互关系，我们将开发一个下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴（负责体内平衡调节和应激激素释放的神经内分泌系统）的综合数学模型，以及一个大脑的动态网络模型。该模型将是一组有延迟的微分方程，它的发展将促进我们对皮质醇（肾上腺释放的一种关键应激激素）在调节大脑兴奋性中所起作用的理解，从而改变癫痫患者对癫痫发作的易感性。这是一个跨学科项目，涉及布里斯托尔大学和伦敦国王学院的实验和临床合作者。

Epilepsy is a very common condition, affecting nearly 1% of the UK population. When asking people with epilepsy to name precipitants of their seizures "stress" is the most commonly listed (by nearly 40% of those questioned). To explore this complex inter-relationship we will develop an integrated mathematical model of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (the neuroendocrine system responsible for homeostatic regulation and the release of stress hormones), and a dynamic network model of the brain. The model, which will be a set of differential equations with delays, will be developed to advance our understanding of the role cortisol (a key stress hormone released by the adrenal glands) plays in modulating brain excitability and thus altering the susceptibility to seizures in people with epilepsy. This is an interdisciplinary project involving experimental and clinical collaborators at the University of Bristol and King's College London.