# Sleep links hippocampal propensity for epileptiform activity to its viscerosensory inputs

## TL;DR

This paper explores how internal bodily signals can trigger seizures in the hippocampus, especially during sleep or drowsiness.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is proposing interoceptive triggers as a mechanism for seizures in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

## Key findings

- Interoceptive signals may trigger seizures in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
- Sleep and drowsiness states are linked to increased epileptic activity in the hippocampus.
- The study suggests a new mechanism for seizure development beyond exteroceptive triggers.

## Abstract

The development of a seizure relies on two factors. One is the existence of an overexcitable neuronal network and the other is a trigger that switches normal activity of that network into a paroxysmal state. While mechanisms of local overexcitation have been the focus of many studies, the process of triggering remains poorly understood. We suggest that, apart from the known exteroceptive sources of reflex epilepsy such as visual, auditory or olfactory signals, there is a range of interoceptive triggers, which are relevant for seizure development in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE). The hypothesis proposed here aims to explain the prevalence of epileptic activity in sleep and in drowsiness states and to provide a detailed mechanism of seizures triggered by interoceptive signals.