Abstract

With ongoing progression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-induced coronavirus disease-19, the post-acute coronavirus disease-19 syndrome (long coronavirus disease) has garnered increasing wide attention as a novel multi system disorder. Epilepsy is one of neurological manifestations associated with long coronavirus disease. However, the underlying common pathogenic mechanisms responsible for epilepsy induced by coronavirus disease-19 remain elusive. This research focused on identifying and elucidating the common underlying molecular mechanisms and biological processes underlying coronavirus disease-19 related epilepsy through bioinformatic methods. Gene expression omnibus and array express databases provided gene expression profiles associated with coronavirus disease-19 and epilepsy. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed the major modules and the shared genes between epilepsy and coronavirus disease-19. A protein-protein interaction network was established using these common genes, and relevant hub genes were recognized through Cytoscape. Additionally, gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses revealed the shared pathogenic molecular mechanism between epilepsy and coronavirus disease-19. 373 common genes shared by the two diseases were chosen for further analysis. Cytoscape identified 20 hub genes related to epilepsy and coronavirus disease-19. The enrichment analysis indicated that activation of the immune response might be a potential biological process involved in coronavirus disease-19 related epilepsy. The immune cell infiltration analysis showed that dendritic cells after being activated were positively correlated with both the two diseases. This research expounded the common pathogenesis of epilepsy and coronavirus disease-19, offering potential novel insights into diagnostic and clinical management strategies for coronavirus disease-19-related epilepsy.