New compound successfully improves epilepsy symptoms in mice

  A research team led by Dr. Nicolas Bazan has developed a new type of psychoprotective compound that can prevent the development of epilepsy symptoms. He comes from the Neuroscience Center of Excellence in New Orleans.

  The National Institutes of Health stated that epilepsy is a sign of severe brain disorder, life-threatening and disabled, and a great threat to people's health. For people with epilepsy, their neural activity patterns become abnormal, they will feel uneasy, produce some strange feelings, emotions, and behaviors, sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and even loss of consciousness. In addition, patients with epilepsy are not uncommon, especially children. With the onset of epilepsy symptoms, they will gradually develop behavioral and emotional problems. For patients with epilepsy, epilepsy has always been a health problem that causes low self-esteem. It can also lead to embarrassment, depression, bullying or being made fun of. Children with epilepsy usually choose to avoid appearing in schools or other public areas of society. For many people with epilepsy, seizures are life-threatening, which also limits their independence (drivers licenses in some states are denied to people with epilepsy) and the right to enjoy recreational activities. Some epilepsy symptoms can even lead to sudden death of unknown cause. Currently, there is no cure for epilepsy.

  In this study, the researchers applied new drugs to the treatment of epilepsy mice. For epilepsy patients, their dendritic spine structure was destroyed, which hindered the communication between brain cells. In the brain of patients with epilepsy, the incorrect reconnection after the damage of the brain structure of the patient will cause the interruption of the brain circuit and repeated seizures. This is an important example of pathological plasticity.

  "In the current study, we have carried out a 100-day follow-up check on the effect of the drug, which mainly includes the protection of dendritic spines and subsequent protection against epilepsy. The results of the study show that the epilepsy process has been effectively controlled. The effect of the drug Very exciting, but the clinical effect of the drug still needs further research,” said Dr. Nicolas Bazan, director of the Center for Health Neuroscience at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.