Review
Physical exercise and seizure activity

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165979Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Promising contribution of the ketogenic diet on the gut microbiome to decrease seizure activity

  • Exercise as an adjunctive form to be integrated with conventional therapy for epilepsy

  • Exercise is effective to reduce comorbidities from epilepsy.

Abstract

Neuroprotective and antiepileptogenic therapies have been extensively investigated for epilepsy prevention and treatment. This review gives an overview of the promising contribution of the ketogenic diet, a complementary treatment, on the intestinal microbiota to reduce seizure susceptibility. Next, the relevance of physical exercise is extensively addressed as a complementary therapy to reduce seizure susceptibility, and thereby impact beneficially on the epilepsy condition. In this context, particular attention is given to the potential risks and benefits of physical exercise, possible precipitant factors related to exercise and proposed mechanisms by which exercise can reduce seizures, and its antiepileptogenic effects. Finally, this review points to emerging evidence of exercise reducing comorbidities from epilepsy and improving the quality of life of people with epilepsy. Based on evidence from current literature, physical or sport activities represent a potential non-pharmacological intervention that can be integrated with conventional therapy for epilepsy.

Keywords

Seizure susceptibility
Epilepsy
Physical exercise
Gut microbiota
Ketogenic diet

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