The role of microglia in Lafora disease: characterisation of microglial signatures and screening of anti-inflammatory molecules in a novel zebrafish model

Lafora's disease (LD) is a progressive myoclonic epilepsy characterised by the accumulation of polyglucosan bodies in various organs and tissues, including the brain. Despite numerous advances, it remains an incurable condition. In recent years, neuroinflammation emerged as a key feature of the disease, but the stimuli that cause the neuroinflammation in LD are under-explored. Using a laforin-deficient zebrafish model, our overall goal is to better characterise the neuroinflammation present in LD, in order to evaluate its contribution to the epileptic phenotype in the epm2a KO zebrafish. Moreover, we aim to test novel compounds with an anti-inflammatory action by verifying the possible rescue of the pathological phenotype in the mutant zebrafish.