ArticlePharmacological reports : PR2026
Effects of lovastatin on cortical excitability, E/I balance, and antioxidant markers in a case series of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a proof-of-concept study.
Article in Pharmacological reports : PR, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDrug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) remains a major clinical challenge, with neuroinflammation and excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalance being implicated in its pathophysiology. This proof-of-concept case series aimed to investigate the neurochemical and neurophysiological effects of a short course of lovastatin in individuals with DRE.
methodsFive participants with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover protocol involving oral administration of lovastatin (60 mg/day) and placebo for three consecutive days. Post-intervention assessments included: (1) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the visual cortex to quantify gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA+), Glutamate (Glx), and Glutathione (GSH); (2) resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the frequency of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs); and (3) event-related potentials (ERPs) during a facial recognition task.
resultsCompared to placebo, lovastatin administration was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the GABA+/Glx ratio (p = 0.041) and IED frequency (p = 0.04), alongside a statistically significant increase in GSH concentration (p = 0.039). Lovastatin also modulated visual processing ERPs, statistically significantly delaying the P100 latency (p = 0.04) and reducing the absolute N170 peak amplitude (p = 0.04).
conclusionThis study demonstrates that a short course of lovastatin can modulate key in vivo biomarkers of E/I balance, redox state, and cortical excitability in patients with DRE. These preliminary findings provide a mechanistic rationale for further, larger studies to explore the potential of statins as a novel strategy for modifying pathological brain activity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42645695What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.