As the Worm Turns: Discovering of a Life of Discovery Washington and Lee University News Office, VA - Our lab is funded to examine the molecular basis of human neurological diseases like Parkinson?s, Huntington?s, dystonia, and epilepsy. ...
Inflammation Implicated in Another Condition findingDulcinea, New York - Nov 26, 2008 In 2004, studies suggested that chronic inflammation could play a role in cancer?s development, USA Today reported. One example it cited was a study that ...
Volunteers wanted Chatham Daily News, Canada - Nov 25, 2008 Doors Open Chatham-Kent: Volunteers needed who wish to play a meaningful role in development of this event. Help with site selection, organization, ...
Stem Cell Research: Transforming Medicine UCSF Today, CA - Nov 21, 2008 Stem Cells to Treat Parkinson?s Disease and Epilepsy Kriegstein and colleagues are aiming to use cell therapy to treat Parkinson?s disease. ...
Spokesfamily for Tree of Hope thrilled with help that they got Urbana/Champaign News-Gazette, IL - Nov 8, 2008 Mission is to help those with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, mental retardation and other disabilities live, work and participate in their ...
How is your customer service? Part I Emery County Progress, UT - Nov 11, 2008 They even defended him while he had his epilepsy attacks which lasted for long periods of time during a battle. How many of you are loyal to your boss or ...
Vital: Music therapy changes Beth's life Glasgow Daily Record, UK - Nov 17, 2008 Under the direction of the charity's music therapist Mary Veal, Beth and Angela play songs together using instruments including guitars and banjos. ...
My dream come true Glasgow Evening Times, UK - Nov 21, 2008 The teenager, from near Carluke in Lanarkshire, is in a wheelchair because he has progressive myoclonic epilepsy. He suffers a major seizure as often as ...
COMMUNITY CALENDAR for Nov. 16 to Nov. 24 Santa Maria Times, CA - Nov 16, 2008 The network of men and women from the business and private sector promotes the professional and personal development of its members and provides information ...
Source: Google News
Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: epilepsy + play + role Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)
Artifice wrecks Prague Post, Czech Republic - 18 minutes ago As the actors assume their roles ? Trojan plays both Old Karamazov and the Devil; My?ička, Chmela and Novotn? his sons; Holub the epileptic lackey ...
Diet Helping 3-year-Old Boy with Epilepsy KIMT, IA - Aug 5, 2008 He loves to play outdoors and cook in his kitchen. But, he wasn't always like this. "Would sleep probably 15 hours a day. He was just worn out. ...
Review: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand - (It's also a wonder how it ever passed epilepsy testing!) The pumping music is varied, and the remixed Evolved theme brings a nostalgic smile while also ...
Keeping his promise to help The Gazette (Montreal), Canada - He suffered from epilepsy. His dream was one day to play hockey with the big boys. When it finally came time to take Tim home,West Islander McEwen stood on ...
It's Happening - Beach insideTORONTO.com, Canada - NEWCOMER OUTREACH PROGRAM by Toronto police helps new immigrants learn about the role police play in Canadian society and services provided by police. ...
COMMUNITY CALENDAR for July 29 through Aug. 6 Santa Maria Times, CA - The club is a support group for stay-at-home mothers with a variety of activities such as play groups, activity groups, Mom?s night out and park days. ...
Living with epilepsy DL-Online, MN - Aug 4, 2008 Just watching Emeric play, the average person wouldn?t know anything was wrong with him. He did just start walking at nearly 2 years of age, so he?s behind ...
Coping with epilepsy: Do illness representations play a role? - S Kemp, S Morley, E Anderson - British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1999 - ingentaconnect.com ... Scale Sample items Role contamination Open-question: In your own words
how big a part does epilepsyplay in your life? (answers ...
Do Antiepileptic Drugs Play a Role in Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy? - T Walczak - Drug Safety, 2003 - drugsafety.adisonline.com ... Drug Safety:Volume 26(10)2003pp 673-683. Do Antiepileptic Drugs Play a Role in Sudden
Unexpected Death in Epilepsy? [Current Opinion]. Walczak, Thaddeus. ...
[CITATION] Excitatory Amino Acid Receptors and Their Role in Epilepsy and Cerebral Ischemia BS MELDRUM - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1995 - Blackwell Synergy ... over the following weeks.43 Thus an imbal- ance in the expression of glutamate
receptors could play a role in genetic or acquired forms of epilepsy. ...
Does Serotonin Play a Role in Epilepsy? - WH Theodore - Epilepsy Currents, 2003 - Blackwell Synergy ... 7597.2003.03508.x. Current Review. Does Serotonin Play a Role in Epilepsy?
William H. Theodore, MD. Studies in experimental models ...
The Midline Thalamus: Alterations and a Potential Role in Limbic Epilepsy - EH Bertram, PS Mangan, DX Zhang, CA Scott, JM … - Epilepsia, 2001 - Blackwell Synergy ... Conclusions: These observations suggest that this thalamic region is part of the
neural circuitry of limbic epilepsy and may play a significant role in seizure ...
The Role of Abstinence in the Genesis of Alcoholic Epilepsy - M VICTOR, C BRAUSCH - Epilepsia, 1967 - Blackwell Synergy ... The Role of Abstinence in the Genesis of Alcoholic Epilepsy M. VICTOR AND C. BRAUSCH ...
Page 3. ROLE OF ABSTINENCE IN THE GENESIS OF ALCOHOLIC EPILEPSY 3 ...
Source: Google Scholar
Astrocytes appear to play a key role in the development of epilepsy
A study, published in Nature Medicine found that star-shaped brain cells that are often overlooked by doctors and researchers as mere support cells appear to play a key role in the development of epilepsy.
It's one of the first times scientists have produced firm evidence implicating the cells, known as astrocytes, in a common human disease.
Researchers found that astrocytes can serve as ground zero in the brain, setting off a harmful cascade of electrical activity in the brain by sending out a brain chemical that triggers other brain cells to fire out of control.
" This opens up a new vista in efforts to treat epilepsy. It might be possible to treat epilepsy not by depressing or slowing brain function, as many of the current medications do, but by targeting brain cells that have been completely overlooked," says Maiken Nedergaard, of Center for Aging and Developmental Biology, who led the research.
" The main function of astrocytes is to maintain a healthy environment for neurons," says Nedergaard. " The electrical signaling in the brain is so sophisticated that it's crucial that the environment be optimal. When the astrocytes start acting abnormally, it's easy to see how serious disease might result."
Last year she showed that astrocytes magnify the damage to neurons after spinal cord injury. And currently she's looking at their role in Alzheimer's disease.
Nedergaard notes that in epilepsy, researchers have long known that an early sign of the disease in the brain are abnormal cells called reactive astrocytes – over-sized, bloated, star-shaped cells that no longer function properly. " People have thought that reactive astrocytes were caused by epilepsy, not that they could be the cause."
In the study, Nedergaard and colleagues showed that astrocytes actually generate seizure activity, and the team linked astrocytes to a brain chemical long known to be a key player in the development of epilepsy.
They showed that glutamate, which hypes up neurons and can make them fire uncontrollably, is released by astrocytes and can trigger seizure-like activity in the brain.
Then the team tested medications currently used to treat the disease. Epilepsy describes a condition in the brain where neurons start firing wildly and uncontrollably, sometimes resulting in seizures, and most medications aim to reduce such firing. The team showed that agents like Gabapentin and Valproate reduced the type of chemical signaling that causes astrocytes to release glutamate.
According to Nedergaard, many researchers have thought that epilepsy occurs when neurons that normally inhibit or slow down other neurons lose their power, as if the brakes on a speeding car were faulty. Current medications are aimed at making those molecular "brakes" more powerful and reining signals back in. But such drugs have side effects like drowsiness. Her work opens up a new avenue to understand the disease.
" The potential role of astrocytes in the generation of epilepsy has been largely ignored," says Michel Berg, of the Strong Epilepsy Center. " Epilepsy involves a re-organization of the brain's pathways, in a way that is not completely understood, that results in recurrent seizures. Currently we have drugs to treat seizures, but not to prevent the whole process.”
More than 2 million Americans have epilepsy. Current medications stop seizures in about two-thirds of patients, but others often struggle for years or even a lifetime to cope with symptoms including seizures. Surgery to remove a small amount of troublesome brain tissue is often successful in such cases. The disease can come about as a result of a brain injury or because of genetic abnormalities in the way the brain develops.
Source: University of Rochester Medical Center, 2005
