Roles Of Glutamate-Induced Astrocytic Glutamate Release In Post-Traumatic Epilepsy

Post-traumatic epilepsy is a common neurological disorder following brain injury. The cellular and molecular mechanism of this disease is still unknown. The goal of this two-year project is to study how glutamate release from astrocytes, the “supporting” cells of the brain, causes the development of post-traumatic epilepsy. In response to increased extracellular glutamate, astrocytes release a large amount of glutamate through fusion of a large vesicle. This may contribute to the cellular mechanism of post-traumatic epilepsy. This work may lead to a novel target for preventing post-traumatic epilepsy following brain injury.