Discovery of brain repair may lead to new treatments for epilepsy

Ordinary drugs to prevent epilepsy do not work for about one-third of patients with epilepsy, so there is an urgent need for new and better treatments for this type of brain injury

Using high-energy imaging technology, researchers have discovered for the first time that a type of immune cell called microglia not only removes damaged substances after an experimental seizure, but also seems to be repairing damaged neurons

"The installation of universal support believes that microglia can be used to improve epilepsy, but direct, visual evidence is lacking how to do this," said researcher Ukpong Dr.

Surprising reaction to epilepsy

The new discovery was a collaboration between scientists from the University of Virginia, Mayo Clinic, and Rutgers University

Instead of simply cleaning up debris, the microglia begin to form pockets

These strange pouches-what scientists call "little gel process bags"-stayed around for several hours

"In this case, we did not find that the microglia were'swallowing' neuronal elements," Eyo said

New insights into the immune response of the brain have pointed out promising new directions for scientists

Eyo has received two grants totaling nearly $5 million from the National Institutes of Health to continue his microglia research

He said: "With this new funding, we are eager to clarify the role of microglia in epilepsy and vascular function

Journal Reference :

1. Ukpong B.