New nerve cells in brain could act to alleviate epilepsy
New nerve cells generated in the brain of adult rats that had suffered an epileptic seizure show a reduced excitability. The discovery could help to alleviate the disorder, according to new research from a team at Lund University in Sweden. The researchers, who are part of the EU-funded EuroStemCell consortium, published their findings in the latest edition of the journal Neuron. Until relatively recently researchers believed that new nerve cells could not be generated in the adult brain. We also know that even diseased brains are able to make new nerve cells; previous research by the authors of this latest study revealed that following a stroke, new nerve cells could be created from the stem cells of an adult brain and then migrate to the damaged area. The aim of this study was to investigate how new brain cells in a diseased brain functioned, and determine whether they were beneficial or detrimental to the brain. To test this, the researchers compared the new neurons generated in the brains of rats allowed to run on a wheel with those generated in the brains of rats which had suffered an induced epileptic seizure. They were particularly interested in cells in a structure of the brain called the dentate gyrus, which is part of the hippocampus, the brain's learning and memory centre. It is known that the dentate gyrus acts as a 'gate' for seizure propagation in the brain. They found that both running and an epileptic seizure had lead to the formation of new nerve cells in the rats' brains. However, the cells in the epileptic brains had a reduced excitability. The researchers believe this could have a beneficial effect on the epileptic syndrome by increasing the threshold for seizure propagation in the brain. 'Our study shows that nerve cells that are generated from stem cells in an adult epileptic brain develop into normal nerve cells,' commented Olle Lindvall of Lund University. 'Interestingly, they also join up with other nerve cells in a way that indicates they are trying to counteract the diseased function.' Although the research is still very much in the early stages, the scientists note that it could have potential clinical applications in the future. 'These data provide further evidence for a therapeutic potential of endogenous neurogenesis,' they conclude.
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