Treating seizures and epilepsy with anticoagulants?

• Main Authors: Nicola eMaggio, Ilan eBlatt, Andreas eVlachos, David eTanne, Joab eChapman, Menahem eSegal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2013-03-01
• Series: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
• Subjects: Seizures; Thrombin; blood brain barrier; PAR-1; novel anticoagulants
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncel.2013.00019/full

Thrombin is a serine protease playing an essential role in the blood coagulation cascade. Recent work, however, has identified a novel role for thrombin-mediated signaling pathways in the central nervous system. Binding of thrombin to protease-activated receptors (PARs) in the brain appears to have multiple actions affecting both health and disease. Specifically, thrombin has been shown to lead to the onset of seizures via PAR-1 activation. In this perspective article, we review the putative mechanisms by which thrombin causes seizures and epilepsy. We propose a potential role of PAR-1 antagonists and novel thrombin inhibitors as new, possible antiepileptic drugs.