Modeling epilepsy with pluripotent human cells

Pluripotency is generally defined by the ability to differentiate into cell types representing all three germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Human pluripotent stem cells hold great promise in regenerative medicine and in cell replacement therapies because of their ability to self-renew and their developmental potential to become all cell types in the body. Moreover, pluripotent cells represent a unique system in which to study the normal development of the human nervous system and the several instances where the process may fail. Here, I propose several strategies for how pluripotent stem cells, both human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, can potentially be used to gain insights into the biology of temporal lobe epilepsy.