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Excitatory neurons and astrocytes-specific dysregulation and aberrant interactions are vulnerable to FCDI as suggested by single-cell spatial transcriptomics [Spatial transcriptomic]

ABSTRACT: Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by malformations of cortical development and is a leading cause of drug-resistant epilepsy. In this study, we employed single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics sequencing (ST-seq) to investigate the molecular pathological features of FCD type I (FCDI) brain tissue from both cell type-specific and spatial heterogeneity perspectives. This integrated analysis provides novel theoretical insights into the pathogenesis of FCDI associated epilepsy.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE295237 | GEO | 2026/04/21

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Focal Cortical Dysplasia (FCD) is a frequent cause of drug-resistant focal epilepsy in children and young adults. The international FCD classifications of 2011 and 2022 have identified several clinico-pathological subtypes, either occurring isolated, i.e., FCD ILAE Type 1 or 2, or in association with a principal cortical lesion, i.e., FCD Type 3. Here, we addressed the DNA methylation signature of a previously described new subtype of FCD 3D occurring in the occipital lobe of very young children and microscopically defined by neuronal cell loss in cortical layer 4. We studied the DNA methylation profile using 850K BeadChip arrays in a retrospective cohort of 104 patients with FCD 1A, 2A, 2B, 3D, TLE without FCD, and 16 postmortem specimens without neurological disorders as controls, operated in China or in Germany. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks with microscopically confirmed lesions, and DNA methylation profiles were bioinformatically analyzed with a recently developed deep learning algorithm. Our results revealed a distinct position of FCD 3D in the DNA methylation map of common FCD subtypes, also different from non-FCD epilepsy surgery controls or non-epileptic postmortem controls. Within the FCD 3D cohort, the DNA methylation signature separated three histopathology subtypes, i.e., fibrotic scarring around porencephalic cysts, loss of layer 4, and Rasmussen encephalitis. Differential methylation in FCD 3D with loss of layer 4 specifically mapped to biological pathways related to neurodegeneration, biogenesis of ECM components, axon guidance, and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Our data suggest that DNA methylation signatures in cortical malformations are not only of diagnostic value but also phenotypically relevant, providing the molecular underpinnings of structural and histopathological features associated with epilepsy. Further studies will be necessary to confirm these results and clarify their functional relevance and epileptogenic potential in these difficult-to-treat children.

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Excitatory neurons and astrocytes-specific dysregulation and aberrant interactions are vulnerable to FCDI as suggested by single-cell spatial transcriptomics [Spatial transcriptomic]

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