Epilepsy Attacks or Epileptic Seizures Prevention
Published on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 at 6:52 pm and is filed under Mental Health
Most patients who suffer from epilepsy attacks, besides trauma caused by frequent loss of consciousness, are also affected by its secondary effects. Among these most annoying are memory loss, slowed reactions or lack of attention.
Researchers from Washington University, School of Medicine in St. Louis were able to observe directly the structural changes occurring in brain cells of lab animals which were induced epileptic seizures. They reported in The Journal of Neuroscience, the discovery allowed the use of a drug to block changes in neurons.
According to lead researcher Michael Wong, assistant of neurology, anatomy and neurobiology, assuming that these structural changes are associated with decreased cognitive processes, the discovery could provide solutions against memory loss in patients that suffer from epilepsy attacks.
Approximately 1-2% of the total world population suffer from some form of epilepsy attacks. Severe and prolonged epileptic seizures can cause death of neurons, leading to anatomical changes in brain structure, visible on CT. Researchers mention that not all cognitive problems arising from the loss of consciousness are associated with obvious brain damage.
Previous studies have suggested that loss of consciousness during epileptic seizures can cause damage to the neuronal dendrites. In experiments on human nervous tissue the researchers found that this damage is about the disappearance of dendritic thorns, with an important role in the establishment of synapses. Michael Wong says that these early studies could not demonstrate a cause-effect relationship between neuronal damage and impaired cognitive extensions, also unexplained actual processes that lead to the disappearance of thorns.
Scientists have succeeded in Michael Wong’s Lab to highlight a neuronal changes by a multiphonic imagine technique. Using a substance triggered epileptic seizures in mice and followed changes in the nervous system during and after its production.
The changes were occurring fast. Within some minutes dendrites were swelling and spines disappeared.
Researchers believe it could be attributed to spin long-term potential, probably responsible for transmission between neurons in a lighter period. This assumptions leads to the idea that the absence of spin in epilepsy attacks diminishes learning such as information storage.
When researchers repeated the experiment and have neglected the disappearance of thorns they have found that epileptic seizures lead to the destruction of actin in cellular structure. When mice were administered a drug, FK 506, prior to induction of the attack, destruction of actin blocked FST.
Michael Wong said that attempts to determine if changes in the structure of dendrites in any way affect the behavior of lab animals. The purpose of testing is to find a product made to reverse the destruction occurred after epilepsy attacks.
