Epilepsy is primarily handled symptomatically—that’s, the vast majority of the out there medicines purpose to suppress seizures with out influencing the underlying causes of the illness. A analysis workforce from the Medical College of Vienna has now recognized a molecular mechanism that will play a task within the improvement of seizures.
These findings pave the best way for analysis into and improvement of causal therapies that might transcend the purely anti-seizure impact. The outcomes have been revealed in The Journal of Neuroscience.
The analysis workforce led by Helmut Kubista and Matej Hotka (Heart for Physiology and Pharmacology, Division of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, MedUni Vienna) centered on a neuronal exercise sample that grew to become often known as paroxysmal depolarization shifts (PDS). These are a type of elevated electrical exercise in nerve cells that may happen in the midst of mind injury.
Till now, researchers regarded PDS as a precursor of epileptic seizures, and a few research even steered that they might signify parts of epileptic seizures. It has solely lately been hypothesized that PDS may very well play a task within the improvement of the illness itself. The MedUni Vienna scientists haven’t solely been in a position to present proof for this suggestion, they’ve additionally revealed a possible mode of motion.
To reach at their lately revealed findings, the researchers examined the results of PDS on nerve cells in a specifically developed cell tradition mannequin. “Our observations revealed that PDS briefly result in a very altered power metabolism within the neurons of a particular mind area, the hippocampus,” reviews Kubista. This variation initially prompts a protecting mechanism towards additional injury, however in the long run it paves the best way for seizure-like electrical discharges.
65 million individuals affected worldwide
Epilepsy is a continual neurological dysfunction that impacts round 65 million individuals worldwide. The related seizures are attributed to a disruption of the excitation management in mind cells. Each the congenital and the acquired type of epilepsy (often because of mind injury) are handled primarily with medicines that purpose to suppress epileptic seizures.
Because of the earlier gaps in our information concerning the improvement of epilepsy, methods to forestall the event of the illness are missing. The findings which have now been obtained have opened up a brand new strategy to analysis and improvement of causal therapy choices.
“Our research identifies PDS as a attainable goal for intervention within the mechanisms of epilepsy and epileptic seizures. This may very well be related for the prevention of these types of epilepsy that may come up from mind injury similar to stroke, cerebral hemorrhage or craniocerebral trauma,” says Kubista, looking forward to additional research which can be meant to proceed the analysis path taken.
Extra info:
Helmut Kubista et al, Mitochondrial Glutamine Metabolism Drives Epileptogenesis in Major Hippocampal Neurons, The Journal of Neuroscience (2025). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0110-25.2025
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Molecular mechanism may pave means for causal therapies that transcend treating epilepsy signs (2025, June 4)
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