A compound may reduce the severity of seizures

The scientists published their findings in the journal Epilepsy

"We found that TC-2153 ultimately reduced the severity of seizures in mice by reducing the activity of hippocampal neurons," said Jennifer Walters, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who worked with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"In most temporal lobe epilepsy, the seizure begins in the medial temporal lobe, which includes the hippocampus," Chung said

The hippocampus plays a central role in learning and memory, so anything that damages the hippocampus could have devastating consequences for the individual, she said

The strength of synaptic communication between neurons and the excitability of individual neurons can affect the likelihood of seizures, Chung said

The finding that TC-2153 reduced seizures was surprising, the researchers said, because it is primarily thought to be an inhibitor of a brain-specific protein called STEP, which reduces the amount of the strength of synaptic communication

"We hypothesized that when we used TC-2153, epileptic activity would increase because STEP inhibition increases synaptic communication," Walters said

Female mice responded more strongly to the compound than male mice

"This completely eliminates the effects of TC-2153," Walters said

Follow-up experiments in mouse brain and neuronal cultures revealed a possible mechanism by which TC-2153 reduces seizure severity

"TC-2153 is a STEP inhibitor," she said

Further studies will explore how TC-2153 works and will test its effects on human neurons, the researchers said

He is also a member of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Carl R.

The National Institutes of Health, the University of Illinois Campus Research Council and the Carl Illinois Collaborative supported the research

Journal Reference :

1. Jennifer M.