Treating Cortical Dysplasia with Adult Human Neural Progenitor Cells

Cortical dysplasia (CD) is a problem of brain development that often causes severe epilepsy. Using an animal model of CD, Dr. Roper and his collaborators will use a novel approach to the treatment of epilepsy in CD using adult human neural progenitor cells from surgically removed tissue from individuals with intractable epilepsy. These cells will be put into rats with CD in order to replace the lost inhibitory neurons and restore normal brain function. This project offers a new direction for treatment of intractable epilepsies using targeted cellular therapies. If this research is successful, the use of adult human donor cells will facilitate the translation of this approach to treatments for individuals with epilepsy due to CD.