Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 at the Intersection of Alzheimer’s Disease and Epilepsy

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients are 10-fold more likely to develop epilepsy than healthy population. Additionally, AD patients after epileptic seizures have worse cognitive outcomes. However, the underlying mechanism of this vicious cycle is unclear. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) regulates various cellular signalling pathways and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AD and epilepsy. Using animal models of AD and epilepsy, we discovered that the changes of GSK-3 expression and activity are associated with the development of AD pathology and the occurrence of epileptic seizures, which might mediate this vicious cycle.