Fahr’s disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by diffuse intracranial calcium deposition and associated cell loss mainly in bilateral basal ganglia and dentate nuclei of the cerebellum. Subarachnoid hemorrhage and epileptic syncope had been reported as acute presentation of Fahr’s disease. We here report a 36-year-old male Indonesian diagnosed as Fahr’s disease presenting with young-onset ischemic stroke. A 36-year-old male Indonesian without prior systemic disease or neurologic disorder presented with young-onset ischemic stroke involving the right posterior limb of internal capsule. Brain computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated symmetric calcifications in bilateral basal ganglia, internal capsules, cerebellar dentate nuclei, thalami, cerebral white matter, which were all consistent with Fahr’s disease. The laboratory studies excluded the presence of other pathologic processes leading to secondary intracranial calcification. Other young stroke surveys were unremarkable. After medical treatment and sustained physical rehabilitation for 3 months, he recovered to carry out daily activities independently. We present ischemic stroke in a young patient with sporadic Fahr’s disease. The differentiation between Fahr’s disease and Fahr’s syndrome is specially highlighted when brain CT exhibits diffuse, symmetric calcifications in bilateral basal ganglia, thalami, cerebellar dentate nuclei and cerebral white matter. The association between nonarteriosclerotic vascular calcification and cerebrovascular disease is worth special attention and further investigation.

Gastrodigenin (HBA) and gastrodin (GAS) are phenolic ingredients found in Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. These compounds have been previously used to treat cognitive dysfunction, convulsion, and dizziness. However, at present, there is no available information regarding their potential ionic effects in electrically excitable cells. In the current study, the possible effects of HBA and GAS on different ionic currents in pituitary GH3 cells and hippocampal mHippoE-14 neurons were investigated using the patch-clamp technique. The addition of HBA or GAS resulted in the differential inhibition of the M-type K⁺ current (I_K(M)) density in a concentration-dependent manner in GH₃ cells. HBA resulted in a slowing of the activation time course of I_K(M), while GAS elevated it. HBA also mildly suppressed the density of erg-mediated or the delayed-rectifier K⁺ current in GH₃ cells. Neither GAS nor HBA (10 µM) modified the voltage-gated Na⁺ current density, although they suppressed the L-type Ca²⁺ current density at the same concentration. In hippocampal mHippoE-14 neurons, HBA was effective at inhibiting I_K(M) density as well as slowing the activation time course. Taken together, the present study provided the first evidence that HBA or GAS could act on cellular mechanisms, and could therefore potentially have a functional influence in various neurologic disorders.

Epilepsy is a multifactorial neurologic disease that often leads to many devastating disabilities and an enormous burden on the healthcare system. Until now, drug-resistant epilepsy has presented a major challenge for approximately 30% of the epileptic population. The present article summarizes the validated rodent models of seizures employed in pharmacological researches and comprehensively reviews updated advances of novel antiseizure candidates in the preclinical phase. Newly discovered compounds that demonstrate antiseizure efficacy in preclinical trials will be discussed in the review. It is inspiring that several candidates exert promising antiseizure activities in drug-resistant seizure models. The representative compounds consist of derivatives of hybrid compounds that integrate multiple approved antiseizure medications, novel positive allosteric modulators targeting subtype-selective γ-Aminobutyric acid type A receptors, and a derivative of cinnamamide. Although the precise molecular mechanism, pharmacokinetic properties, and safety are not yet fully clear in every novel antiseizure candidate, the adapted approaches to design novel antiseizure medications provide new insights to overcome drug-resistant epilepsy.