Brain mosaicism in epilepsy: targeted molecular and therapeutic bases

Brain mosaicism plays a key role in several neurodevelopmental diseases, including focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). Focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs) are rare brain malformations that occur during fetal development. These malformations affect the cerebral cortex - the brain's region responsible for complex neurological functions, such as intelligence, voluntary movement and  consciousness. FCDs manifest in young children as epilepsy that is resistant to conventional antiepileptic drugs, often accompanied by developmental delays. 

 
The treatment of FCDs frequently requires major brain surgery to remove the area generating epileptic seizures. However, successful surgery cases concern only 50% of patients, and in other cases, the operation is not an option due to surgical inaccessibility. Treatment of FCDs therefore represents a major medical  challenge with an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches.