A Trinity-led team of scientists have made a key advance in the understanding of epilepsy, identifying a specific cause for the condition and revealing a new means of treatment in order to prevent epileptic seizures.
Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the central nervous system that results in recurrent, spontaneous seizures. It affects up to one per cent of the population, or tens of millions of people.
The research revealed the role of damage to an intricate network of capillaries within the brain called the blood-brain barrier in the cause of epilepsy. The scientists also found that restoring the integrity of the barrier can prevent future seizures.
The blood-brain barrier nourishes and protects the brain. It is so extensive that scientists believe each neuron is essentially catered to by its own capillary.
The research was performed through collaboration between Trinity, RCSI, St James’s Hospital, Beaumont Hospital and Uppsala University scientists and funded through the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) FutureNeuro Centre.
The research included both basic and clinical research involving patients diagnosed with epilepsy.
In a press statement, Associate Professor in Trinity’s School of Genetics and Microbiology Dr Matthew Campbell said: “This work represents one of the first conclusive studies that pinpoints a key feature of seizures that has to date not been studied in great molecular detail.”
“Our findings suggest that designing medicines aimed at stabilising the integrity of blood vessels in the brain may hold promise in treating patients who are currently non-responsive to anti-seizure medications.”
Lead author on the study published this week in Nature Communications, Trinity Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Chris Greene said: “We are excited about the potential our findings hold for advancing the field of epilepsy research as well as other neurological conditions.”
“In fact”, he added, “stabilising the integrity of blood vessels in the brain could have relevance for a wide range of other diseases and we are just at the beginning of the process in driving the research forward”.
While a clear link between damage to the blood-brain barrier and epileptic seizures was established, the exact biological mechanism is yet to be established.
