Epilepsy can be disruptive for many who are afflicted by it. Epilepsy can cause people who have it to go into seizures. Brain tumors' link to epileptic seizures might offer cure for it.
Studying the link brain tumors have with epilepsy might help in minimizing seizures among those who are afflicted by it. The key to this is to identify brain tumors on its earliest stages before they could cause seizures. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine have studied the effects of brain tumors on seizures in lab mice.
Dr. Benjamin Deneen is the co-senior author of the study. He is an associate professor for the Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine. He has said that the brain is made up primarily of astrocytes. The cells in the brain make up 70 percent of it yet have not been fully studied.
Astrocytes have many functions in the brain. They support neurons as well as release neurotransmitters. The study aims to find out if different types of astrocytes do different functions.
For the study, mice astrocytes have been used. The study has found that different populations of astrocytes have different types of genes that control them. The study then looked if certain types of astrocytes could be linked to epilepsy and seizures, according to the Baylor College of Medicine's site.
The study has focused on astrocytes and how they contribute glioblastoma multiforme, which is a type of aggressive brain tumor. The study of glioblastoma has led to its link with epileptic seizures, as Science Daily reports. In lab mice, it has been observed that the mice have brain tumors also have seizures.
Observations made have shown that seizures became more frequent as the population of astrocytes subpopulation c also grew. This type of astrocytes has also been shown to have genes that link it to epilepsy. The study has shown then that as the tumor grew, the population of astrocyte cells has also developed. Current antiepileptic medicines are not made to target these types of cells.
The study of brain tumors and its link to epilepsy continues, and with it also finding a treatment that can target its causes. Brain tumors' link to epileptic seizures might hopefully offer a cure. A study on exercise and rest shows how it could affect stress.
