image: Removal of newborn neurons (right) view more
Credit: Varma et al., JNeurosci 2019
Removing new neurons born after a brain injury reduces seizures in mice, according to new research in JNeurosci. This approach could potentially help prevent post-injury epilepsy.
New neurons generated following a brain injury often do not develop normally. Left untreated, these cells may contribute to the development of epilepsy.
Jenny Hsieh and colleagues at the University of Texas at San Antonio continually removed new neurons that formed during the eight weeks following a seizure in mice. Hsieh's team monitored seizure activity in the mice and observed that the treated mice experienced a 65 percent reduction in seizures compared to the untreated mice. This effect required more than four weeks of continuous treatment.
Although these findings support a role for newborn neurons in epilepsy development, they also suggest additional factors are involved. Further research may bring us closer to complete prevention of injury-induced epilepsy.
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Manuscript title: Targeting Seizure-Induced Neurogenesis in a Clinically-Relevant Time-Period Leads to Transient but Not Persistent Seizure Reduction
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About JNeurosci
JNeurosci, the Society for Neuroscience's first journal, was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.
About The Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 37,000 members in more than 90 countries and over 130 chapters worldwide.