Predicting Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Using Transparent, Stretchable Multielectrode Arrays and Simultaneous Glutamate Imaging

Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) often occurs following traumatic brain injuries (TBI). One of the biggest challenges to developing new treatments for PTE is that there is no way to tell which people with TBI will go on to develop PTE. If it was possible to identify the people with TBI who are at particular risk of developing PTE, then targeted interventions could be utilized to minimize the development of epilepsy. Former CURE Epilepsy grantee Dr. Dulla and his team are monitoring electrical activity and glutamate neurotransmission in rodent models following TBI to determine if any of these signals are useful in predicting the later development of PTE. The long-term goal of these studies is to determine if any biomarkers they develop have the potential to predict human PTE.

Dr. Dulla’s study is funded by the Department of Defense. The CURE Epilepsy Research Continuity Fund will help Dr. Dulla’s team offset costs that were incurred due to COVID-19 research laboratory shutdowns and help them continue this important work.