Mild malformation of cortical development with oligodendroglial hyperplasia in epilepsy (MOGHE): genetics, mechanisms and precision therapy

Abstract

Mild malformation of cortical development with oligodendroglial hyperplasia in epilepsy (MOGHE) is a recently defined malformation of cortical development that is an important cause of childhood-onset drug-resistant epilepsy. Clinically, the epilepsies associated with MOGHE are heterogeneous, with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) being the most common manifestation. Histopathologically, MOGHE demonstrates subtle cortical dyslamination, heterotopic neurons in the white matter, hypomyelination, and a distinctive increase in the density and clustering of oligodendroglial cells, features that distinguish it from other malformations of cortical development such as focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). Recent genetic analyses of epileptogenic tissue resected from individuals with MOGHE have identified somatic mosaic loss-of-function variants in SLC35A2. This gene encodes the Golgi transmembrane UDP-galactose transporter, suggesting disrupted N-glycosylation as a distinct pathogenic mechanism underlying epilepsy in this disorder. In this review, we present the current clinical, histopathological, and molecular understanding of MOGHE, with a particular focus on recent insights gained from experimental rodent and human cellular models of SLC35A2 deficiency. We contextualise these findings against established models of mTORopathies including FCD type 2, placing MOGHE within the broader malformation of cortical development spectrum. Synthesising this evidence, we observe that neuronal activity in models of both MOGHE and mTORopathies such as FCD type 2 converge on reduced action potential firing, despite their distinct genetic aetiologies. Finally, we discuss how these findings inform our understanding of epileptogenesis, especially the emergence of infantile epileptic spasms, and the development of future precision therapeutic strategies across malformations of cortical development.