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CURE Epilepsy is dedicated to funding patient-focused research to find a cure for the 65 million people with epilepsy worldwide. This month, we share the following articles and abstracts which are furthering the study of epilepsy and bringing the world closer to a cure.

This issue of Epilepsy Research News includes summaries of articles on: 

• Beating Seizures by Jamming the Cellular Circuitry

• Identifying Seizures that Occur While Driving, Before Epilepsy Diagnosis

• Understanding Autism and Epilepsy

• Brain Inflammation and Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

• Reducing Seizures After Brain Tumor Treatment

Beating Seizures by Jamming the Cellular Circuitry

Researchers have shown for the first time how the commonly prescribed antiseizure and pain medication gabapentin (Neurontin®) acts to affect cell function, potentially opening the door to new, more effective treatments for diseases like epilepsy. This research shows how gabapentin interacts with proteins called voltage-gated calcium channels, which are critical to the function of the brain. Voltage-gated calcium channels control the flow of calcium in and out of the cell and regulate brain excitation. By utilizing a technique called cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers confirmed the site where gabapentin binds to the channel to affect its function. The researchers also discovered that gabapentin interferes with the actions of a protein known as EMC. This interference could inhibit the actions of the ion channel, possibly decreasing the amount of calcium that gets into brain cells, in turn reducing brain activity and seizures. The study authors noted that by showing how gabapentin binds to calcium channels, there may be the opportunity to design a new generation of therapies.

Identifying Seizures that Occur While Driving,

Before Epilepsy Diagnosis

Five percent of people with focal epilepsy had a seizure while driving prior to being diagnosed with epilepsy, according to a new study. Researchers looked at clinical descriptions from study participants’ seizure diaries and medical records to classify types of seizures, seizure occurrence, and information about seizures while driving. They found 23 out of 447 participants, or 5% of participants, experienced one or more seizures while driving, for a total of 32 seizures while driving prior to diagnosis. Of these 23 people, seven people, or 30%, had more than one seizure while driving prior to diagnosis. The consequences of these seizures while driving included 19 motor vehicle accidents and 11 hospitalizations for injuries ranging from a tongue bite and a dislocated thumb to a near drowning. "From our study, we estimate nearly 6,500 people per year may experience pre-diagnosis seizures while driving in the United States alone, leading to nearly 4,000 possible motor vehicle accidents and over 2,200 hospitalizations,” stated the study authors. “Much of this may be preventable by earlier diagnosis."

Understanding Autism and Epilepsy

A study has increased our understanding and identified a possible treatment target for people with autism and epilepsy due to a lack of the ANK2 gene. This study showed that mice lacking the ANK2 gene in certain brain cells that contribute to brain excitation have autism spectrum disorder-like behaviors and juvenile seizure-related death. The researchers identified increased excitability of cortical neurons in these ANK2-deficient mice. These changes were accompanied by decreases in the function of a particular type of potassium channel in the brain. When the researchers used retigabine, an antiseizure medication, to enhance potassium channel function in the mice, they were able to restore neuronal excitability to normal levels and reduce seizure-induced deaths, suggesting that activation of potassium channels may be effective in treating epilepsy caused by ANK2 defects.

Brain Inflammation and Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

New research investigated how inflammation contributes to the development of drug-resistant epilepsy. To study this, researchers examined brain tissue obtained during resective epileptic brain surgery. The researchers used a genetic sequencing technique called cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq), which gathers information on RNA and surface proteins in single cells. They uncovered a proinflammatory microenvironment in drug-resistant epilepsy lesions that resembles brain autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. They found that the drug-resistant epilepsy microenvironment includes activated microglia and other proinflammatory immune cells, and they captured cellular interactions with additional molecular analyses. The researchers noted that these results provide insight into the immune microenvironment in epileptic tissue, which may aid the development of new therapeutics.

Reducing Seizures After Brain Tumor Treatment

According to a recent study, inhibiting a mutated gene can reduce seizure activity in adult-type diffuse gliomas, which are the most common type of malignant tumors arising in the central nervous system and which commonly cause seizures that are difficult to control with medication. Previous research has shown that gliomas with mutations in the IDH (IDHMut) gene are more likely to cause seizures because the mutated gene produces D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D2HG), a chemical which excites neurons and leads to an increase in seizure activity. In the recent study, scientists found that AG881, a newly discovered small molecule inhibitor that can cross the blood-brain barrier, can reduce seizure activity in mice with IDHmut gliomas by more than 50 percent. IDHmut inhibition also inhibited the production of D2HG by IDHmut glioma cells. The researchers stated that these findings provide a potential basis for treating seizures in human glioma patients.

Our mission is to find a cure for epilepsy, by promoting and funding patient-focused research.

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