Astrocyte Receptors As A Therapeutic Target For Treating Epilepsy

While much of the past focus on the development of new therapies for epilepsy has concerned important roles played by nerve cells, it is also thought that glia, electrically silent cells that make up half of the brain, are likely to be involved in this brain disorder. However, their roles are unknown. Using recent technical innovations we will determine how a type of glial cell, called the astrocyte, regulates the development of epilepsy with the long term objective of targeting astrocytes to prevent epilepsy.