DNA Methylation In Epilepsy

In cases of acquired epilepsy, such as those resulting from head injury, the levels of many different proteins within the brain change dramatically. Many of these changes contribute to the generation of epilepsy. This experimental research will investigate an overarching molecular mechanism which mediates these wide-spread changes in protein expression following brain injury, and will determine whether blocking this mechanism can prevent the negative impact these protein changes exert on the brain. It is hoped that by providing a pharmacological intervention immediately following head injury in patients, we can prevent the changes in protein expression within the brain from occurring, and ultimately stop the development of the epilepsy following the injury.