Cuproptosis-related genes signature and validation of differential expression and the potential targeting drugs in temporal lobe epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common subtype of epilepsy in adults and is characterized by neuronal loss, gliosis, and sprouting mossy fibers in the hippocampus. But the mechanism underlying neuronal loss has not been fully elucidated. A new programmed cell death, cuproptosis, has recently been discovered; however, its role in TLE is not clear. To investigate the the features of 12 cuproptosis-related genes in TLEs and controls,six epileptic focus specimens were obtained from the hippocampus of patients diagnosed with intractable TLE according to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) diagnostic criteria (Blümcke et al., 2013). Because the hippocampal specimens from age matched controls were sparse, we only collected two control hippocampi from autopsied individuals without a known history of neurologic or psychiatric disease, ensuring a 3:1 disease-to control match.