Prevention Of Neocortical Post-Traumatic Epileptogenesis

There is often a delay between brain injury and development of seizures in lab animals and in humans. Dr. David Prince has shown that development of post-traumatic epilepsy in animals can be prevented by briefly treating the injured brain with a substance that blocks nerve cell messages. In this two-year study, they will use other approaches, such as the application of a drug that acts to decrease the action of an excitatory messenger normally pr esent. Other experiments will test whether increases in a gene that prevents both nerve injury and development of new connections will prevent post-traumatic epilepsy in animals. This grant is jointly sponsored by the USAMRMC and funds raised from the Northwestern University 2007 Dance Marathon.