{
  "abstract": "One in ten individuals will experience a seizure in their lives, but only 43%–61% will be diagnosed with new-onset epilepsy (NOE). Existing methods to distinguish between a first unprovoked seizure and a diagnosis of epilepsy are inadequate and often lead to unnecessary treatment with antiseizure medications. To uncover potential targets associated with NOE, we analyzed cell-free circulating miRNA expression in plasma samples obtained from 20 patients who presented with a first unprovoked seizure. Patients were monitored for 2 years following their initial seizure, and a total of 7 patients experienced a second seizure within the follow-up period. Analysis of the miRNA expression levels revealed 15 differentially expressed miRNAs between patients who experienced only a first unprovoked seizure versus those who had a second seizure. These 15 miRNAs were experimentally linked as regulators to 160 genes related to epilepsy, including genes involved in the mTOR and WNT signaling pathways. These findings highlight a number of key circulating miRNA targets that may be further developed as a biomarker signature in larger cohorts and may offer insights into factors associated with epileptogenesis.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Brief Research Report",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Ryan C. Meng"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alexandra Lesko"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fred Robinson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elizabeth Baraban"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kai H. Darke"
    },
    {
      "name": "Brian D. Piening"
    },
    {
      "name": "Evan J. Fertig"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ekk8mb01mwfp4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fmolb.2026.1788160",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "ekk8mb01mwfp4",
  "issns": [
    "2296-889X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2026.1788160",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "biochemistry/general"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ekk8mb01mwfp4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:16Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fmolb.2026.1788160",
      "source": "feed-frontiers",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2026.1788160"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:1312|Protein Structure and Dynamics",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Exploratory analysis of cell-free miRNA expression changes in patients with isolated first seizure and new-onset epilepsy",
  "title_text": "Exploratory analysis of cell-free miRNA expression changes in patients with isolated first seizure and new-onset epilepsy",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T00:20:29Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ekk8mb01mwfp4",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences",
  "versions": []
}