Scientists Have Identified A Significant Advance In A Novel Approach To Preventing Seizures

Scientists are currently making various headways in many previously very difficult areas in the health field. Through various research, scientists at the Trinity College Dublin have found a possible method to prevent dangerous seizure activity.

The research by three scientists from the Trinity College Dublin Dr. Chris Greene, Dr. Matthew Campbell, and Prof. Colin Doherty, aims to find a potent treatment for patients with epilepsy. There are usually multiple factors affecting any illness, and isolating them can be difficult. This is why it’s important to take a look at any new mechanisms identified, as they could be the key to helping future studies.

The research

This study is looking at any abnormalities in the blood brain barrier (BBB). The scientists believe that restoring defects in these regions is one unexplored area that has potential in treating epilepsy. Their focus is on the blood vessels connecting to neurons across the BBB. One of the highlights of positive research would be to help patients who do not respond to existing anti-seizure medications.

Epilepsy is a disorder of the chronic central nervous system, which disrupts the brain’s electrical activities and causes spontaneous seizures. The brain uses about 20% of the daily energy production of the body. To ensure this consistent supply, the brain cells get nourished by a complex network of capillaries, which make up the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Any disruption in this supply channel is what the scientists believe causes seizures in humans. They believe that restoring the integrity of the capillaries and blood-brain barrier can prevent seizures. Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide.

Contributors to the research included a team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, and geneticists, from the Trinity, RCSI, Uppsala University, St James’s Hospital, and Beaumont Hospital.