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** Epilepsy Research
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** News
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February 2025
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This month, we share the following articles and abstracts which are furthering the study of epilepsy and bringing the world closer to a cure.
* Childhood Epilepsy May Predispose People to Memory Disorders Later in Life ([link removed])
* Stem Cell Therapy Jumpstarts Brain Recovery After Stroke ([link removed])
* New Research Reveals Potential Biomarkers for Epilepsy Diagnosis ([link removed])
* Scientists are Unraveling the Cause Behind Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy ([link removed])


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** Childhood Epilepsy May Predispose People to Memory Disorders Later in Life
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Featuring work by CURE Epilepsy grantee, Dr. Bruce Hermann

Collaborating together, researchers from the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University in Finland, and the University of Wisconsin showed that individuals who had childhood epilepsy have an increased amount of a protein called amyloid in their brains later in life, potentially predisposing them to late-onset brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

The study is based on a unique cohort of individuals who had childhood epilepsy that has been monitored continuously for health and social outcomes since the early 1960s. Clinical follow-up of this cohort and matched control subjects is conducted at regular intervals. A recent analysis examined the amount of brain amyloid in these individuals who ranged in age from 60-65 years old and their controls. In the previous timepoint of the study (2013-2016), after 50 years of follow-up, researchers observed that individuals with childhood epilepsy had more amyloid plaques in their brains than the controls.
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** Stem Cell Therapy Jumpstarts Brain Recovery After Stroke
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For survivors of the most common type of stroke, called an ischemic stroke, only about five percent fully recover. Most others suffer from long-term problems, including weakness, chronic pain, or epilepsy. In a recent study, scientists at Gladstone Institutes and the regenerative medicine company SanBio have shown that a therapy derived from stem cells can restore normal patterns of brain activity after a stroke.

The modified stem cells used in the study have been in clinical development for more than a decade to treat stroke and traumatic brain injuries. Researchers have found that cells in damaged brain regions can become overly active or hyperexcitable, sending out signals that are too strong or too frequent to other brain regions. “This hyperexcitability has been linked to movement problems and seizures, but no therapies have been developed to effectively reverse it,” says Gladstone Investigator Jeanne Paz, PhD, who is also a member of the International Post-Stroke Epilepsy Consortium, which aims to accelerate discoveries to prevent the development of epilepsy after stroke.
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** New Research Reveals Potential Biomarkers for Epilepsy Diagnosis
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New research led by UTHealth Houston scientists uncovered two genes associated with variants linked to epilepsy, which may prove to be promising diagnostic biomarkers. Led by Dennis Lal, PhD, the research team analyzed data for somatic variants, which are DNA changes that occur after conception and can only be identified in the brain tissue, in the genes of individuals undergoing epilepsy surgery. The research identified two novel genes, DYRK1A and EGFR, and their genetic mutations that were linked to epileptic brain lesions. “Discovering these genes not only helps us better understand the biology behind epilepsy but also reveals specific traits in tissues, making them valuable tools for diagnosing the condition,” said Lal.
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** Scientists are Unraveling the Cause Behind Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy
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Featuring work by CURE Epilepsy grantee, Dr. Edward Glasscock

SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) is a rare consequence of epilepsy, occurring in one in 1,000 people with epilepsy and resulting in an estimated 3,000 deaths per year in the United States. More than a decade of research has pointed to a connection between the brain, lung, and heart, but finding the underlying biological mechanism(s) has remained elusive. Dr. Edward Glasscock and Southern Methodist University (SMU) colleagues recently led a study identifying neurons in regions of the brain that govern everything from emotions to heart rate that may underlie SUDEP.

What scientists have been able to piece together comes from animal studies, particularly from a type of mouse genetically modified to lack a gene called Kcna1. That gene encodes the protein Kv1.1, which helps regulate electrical activity by controlling the flow of potassium in and out of neurons. Mice lacking Kv1.1 had seizures and problems with breathing and heart function. In the case of one mouse, researchers observed a full SUDEP event, with breathing issues followed by heart failure, which matched patterns previously seen in humans. “Catching that was really rare because we only do those recordings with respiration for somewhere between six and eight hours at a time,” Kelsey Paulhus, PhD, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral researcher at SMU, said. “I feel very fortunate that … we were able to catch that because it’s really important information.”
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