# Epigenetic Effects of Exercise on Epilepsy

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2020 · $408,375

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This proposal targets temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) a common form of acquired and drug resistant epilepsy often
associated with a higher risk for cognitive deficits. It is becoming more vital to not only treat chronic seizures, but
to also improve the quality of life of those with TLE. Researchers believe that physical activity and exercise
functions to reduce seizure frequency and alleviate epileptic comorbidities such as memory loss. However, our
understanding of how exercise contributes to these positive effects on epilepsy is limited. Alterations in
epigenetic gene transcription programs in the central nervous system are associated with increased seizures,
status epilepticus (SE), and the development of epilepsy. We have collected data suggesting that epigenetic
mechanisms such as DNA methylation (DNAme) are significantly modified by chronic exercise in epilepsy.
Therefore, we propose to test the overarching hypothesis that exercise triggers therapeutic DNAme changes in
the epileptic hippocampus, contributing to the effects of exercise in epilepsy. We will use a multidisciplinary
approach to test our hypothesis, including, state of the art in vivo CRISPR/dCas9 gene activation, next-
generation sequencing, and memory/behavior tasks to: 1) Determine whether chronic exercise triggers DNAme
mediated transcriptional programs in the epileptic hippocampus; and 2) Determine if DNAme is sufficient for the
effects of chronic exercise on memory improvements with epilepsy. We anticipate that these experiments will
provide important new insights into the role of DNAme in the epileptic hippocampus triggered by chronic exercise
that will allow for the development of novel epigenetic therapeutic interventions for the mitigation of memory loss
associated with epilepsy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10155026
- **Project number:** 1R21NS116937-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Farah Dominique Lubin
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $408,375
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10155026

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10155026, Epigenetic Effects of Exercise on Epilepsy (1R21NS116937-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10155026. Licensed CC0.

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