December 21, 2017

Ablation of hippocampal granule cells could halt progression of epilepsy

According to a study from Bethany E. Hosford et al., “Ablation of peri-insult generated granule cells after epilepsy onset halts disease progression,” [1]:

Targeted ablation of newborn granule cells can produce a striking improvement in [temporal lobe epilepsy] disease course, and the treatment can be effective when applied months after disease onset.

Ablation halted epilepsy progression relative to untreated epileptic mice; the latter showing a significant and dramatic 300% increase in seizure frequency. This increase was prevented in treated mice.

Ablation did not, however, cause an immediate reduction in seizures, suggesting that peri-insult generated cells mediate epileptogenesis, but that seizures per se are initiated elsewhere in the circuit.