Epileptic mice had inhibitory cells transplanted in their brains to halt seizures (wiki commons)
Epilepsy that does not respond to drug treatments has been stopped in adult mice, giving hope of a cure to human sufferers.
Researchers at the UC San Francisco have found a way to halt seizures in adult mice by transplanting medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) cells into the mice brains.
MGE cells inhibit signalling in overactive nerve circuits. They were inserted into the hippocampus, which is associated with seizures, as well as learning and memory.
During epileptic seizures, the brain abnormally fires many excitatory nerve cells at the same time. Seizures can cause sufferers to lose consciousness, fall and sometimes be seriously injured.
The cells that were transplanted into the mice brains prevented the "nerve-signalling firestorm" and stopped seizures in half of the mice. It also dramatically reduced the number of seizures in the other half.
The mice were given a form of epilepsy resembling mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, in which seizures are believed to arise from the hippocampus. This form of the disease often develops in human adolescence.
The mice model also shared other features of the human form of the disease, such as loss of cells in the hippocampus, impaired problem solving and behavioural changes.
Encouraging step forward
As well as having fewer seizures, the mice also became less agitated, less hyperactive and performed better in maze tests.
Original post:
Untreatable Epilepsy Halted with Brain Cell Transplantation