Supporting a neuroprotective role for canonical Wnt signaling, in a chronic systemic pilocarpine rat epilepsy model, epileptic animals were found to have reduced synaptic spine density in the dentate gyrus and CA1 regions of the hippocampus, as well as long-term potentiation at CA1 Schaffer collaterals, which was associated with reductions in canonical Wnt signaling; intermittent hypobaric hypoxia rescued these deficits in a canonical-Wnt-signaling-dependent manner as DKK1 infusion (canonical Wnt inhibitor) blocked its therapeutic effect [32]. The gene discussed is DKK1; the disease is epilepsy.