Article published by The Conversation
Since epileptic seizures are caused by excessive activity of brain cells (neurons) in specific parts of the brain, being able to target these neurons and turn them off could very well prevent seizures from happening.
Using an innovative new gene therapy approach the authors developed, the authors report that they were able to show in cell and animal models that it is possible to specifically target the neurons that cause epileptic seizures. This subsequently prevented them from becoming overactive and causing seizures in the future.
This discovery not only has major implications for treating drug-resistant epilepsy, but there’s a chance it may also be used to treat other neurological conditions caused by overactive neurons, including Parkinson’s disease and migraines.
This research is published in Science.