Kasper Lolk
Genetic Liability and Biomarkers of Post-traumatic Epilepsy
Kasper Lolk, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University, has received a Lundbeck Foundation Postdoc grant worth DKK 2,392,068.
About the project
Post-traumatic epilepsy is a highly disabling neurologic disease that entails substantial consequences for the affected and large costs to society. It is unclear why some go on to develop epilepsy after trauma whereas others do not, and increased insights into the disease mechanisms is urgent.
The development of epilepsy after trauma is potentially preventable, making early identification of disease progression critical. Biomarkers and genetic liability are promising candidates for such early detection and prevention, but the literature on their involvement is scarce. Large-scale register-based studies provide unique opportunities to study the implication of such factors in post-traumatic epilepsy.
With this project, Kasper Lolk will (i) explore the potential of serum S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) as an early biomarker of post-traumatic epilepsy, (ii) investigate the contribution of molecular genetic liability in the epilepsies to post-traumatic epilepsy, and (iii) disentangle the contribution of shared genetic and environmental factors in post-traumatic epilepsy.
Collectively, the project will provide evidence of the importance of genes, environment, and their complex interactions utilizing data from the unique Danish registries and the iPSYCH cohort. These results have important clinical and research implications and will ultimately be instrumental for efforts aimed at reducing the burden of post-traumatic epilepsy.
