Insights from the University of Virginia School of Medicine into the brain's response to seizures could lead to the creation of much-needed treatments for the one-third of patients who are unresponsive to current options. Research from the laboratories of Dr. Ukpong B. Eyo and Dr. Edward Perez-Re
Seizures are sudden electrical disruptions in the brain that can cause a variety of symptoms, including convulsions, muscle spasms, loss of consciousness, and changes in behavior or mood. They can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, head injury, brain infections, and neurological disorders like epilepsy.into the brain’s response to seizures could lead to the creation of much-needed treatments for the one-third of patients who are unresponsive to current options.
“Over the years, there has been debate as to the precise roles of microglia in seizure disorders, and the availability of precise tools to specifically target microglia without affecting other aspects of the brain has been lacking until the approach we have employed in this study,” said Eyo, of UVA’s Department of Neuroscience and Center for Brain Immunology and Glia , as well as the UVA Brain Institute. Our study examined microglial contributions in different models of seizures.
To shed light on the mysterious role of microglia, the UVA researchers eliminated the cells in their lab models of seizures. This allowed them to see what would happen without the microglial response – would lab mice fare better or worse? The results offered clear indications that the microglia were beneficial: Mice lacking the response suffered worse seizures, while mice with normal microglia activity recovered better afterward.
UVA’s new research has produced several promising leads for scientists to pursue. In particular, Eyo and Perez-Reyes say, additional investigation is needed to determine how exactly the microglia are helping the body control and respond to seizures. This could be by cleaning up excess neurotransmitters, by calming overstimulated neurons, or by some other means, they note.
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