Is physical activity beneficial for recovery in temporal lobe epilepsy? Evidences from animal studies

Exposure to different physical and cognitive stimulus have been shown to induce extensive neuronal plasticity in both undamaged and injured central nervous system, such as enhanced neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, up-regulation of neurotrophic factors and improved learning and memory. Neuronal plasticity also is found during certain neurodegenerative conditions, including the temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). TLE is the most common form of partial epilepsy, characterized by atrophy of mesial temporal structures, mossy fiber sprouting, spontaneous recurrent seizures and cognitive deficits. In view of the fact that physical activity has been found to be beneficial for treating animal models of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, there is considerable interest in determining the efficacy of this strategy for preventing or treating chronic TLE. This review discusses the positive effects of program of physical exercise in experimental models of epilepsy. Thus, considerations of the potential application of physical exercise strategy for preventing or treating TLE are highlighted. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.