(Press-News.org) A new study unravels a link between a protein that can modify cellular metabolism in the brain and seizure susceptibility. The research, published by Cell Press in the May 24th issue of the journal Neuron, may lead to the development of new treatments for epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by seizures, unpredictable and abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain. Some cases of epilepsy are resistant to traditional drug treatments but can be improved by a "ketogenic" diet. This type of diet, which is very low in sugars and high in fat, forces neurons to switch from their customary fuel of glucose to a type of fat byproduct called a ketone body. "The potent effect of increased ketone metabolism on human epilepsy points to a link between fuel utilization and neuronal excitability," explains senior study author, Dr. Nika N. Danial, from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. "However, the molecular underpinnings of this link are not fully understood."
To examine how altered metabolism might protect the brain from seizures, Dr. Danial, co-senior author Dr. Gary Yellen, and their colleagues explored the role of a protein called BAD (BCL-2-associated Agonist of Cell Death), which modulates glucose metabolism in multiple types of cells. This allowed examination of altered fuel metabolism without drastic dietary manipulations, which can have complex and at times adverse systemic effects. The researchers discovered that modifications to BAD that reduced glucose metabolism and increased ketone body metabolism in the brain were associated with a decrease in seizure susceptibility. They went on to show that this reduction in seizure susceptibility was due to increased activity of an ion channel that dampens neuronal excitability.
Taken together, the findings identify BAD as a regulator of fuel metabolism in the brain and implicate this protein in the regulation of seizures. "BAD's capacity to modulate energy metabolism in the brain, independent of dietary manipulation, makes it an attractive candidate for metabolic control of seizures," concludes Dr. Yellen. "Small molecules modeled after BAD variants may help uncover new therapeutic targets to treat epileptic disorders."
###
Giménez-Cassina et al.: "BAD-Dependent Regulation of Fuel Metabolism and KATP Channel Activity Confers Resistance to Epileptic Seizures."
Why cutting sugar can control seizures: Scientists identify metabolic regulator of epilepsy
2012-05-23
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Dollars and sense: Why are some people morally against tax?
2012-05-23
As the U.S. presidential election campaigns heat up, the economic debate is dominated by bailouts, austerity and, inevitably, taxation. Now a new study published in Symbolic Interaction asks why tax is such an important issue to voters and explores the moral ideas which underpin their views.
Americans are famously hostile to taxes even though they are not heavily taxed in comparison to Canadians and the British. In their study Dr Jeff Kidder and Dr Isaac Martin, from Northern Illinois University and the University of California-San Diego, explore how middle class feelings ...
Socioeconomics may affect toddlers' exposure to flame retardants
2012-05-23
DURHAM, N.C. -- A Duke University-led study of North Carolina toddlers suggests that exposure to potentially toxic flame-retardant chemicals may be higher in nonwhite toddlers than in white toddlers.
The study also suggests that exposure to the chemicals is higher among toddlers whose fathers do not have a college degree, a proxy measure of lower socioeconomic background.
Hand-to-mouth activity may account for a significant amount of the children's exposure to the contaminants, according to the study, which appears Wednesday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. ...
Taking solar technology up a notch
2012-05-23
The limitations of conventional and current solar cells include high production cost, low operating efficiency and durability, and many cells rely on toxic and scarce materials. Northwestern University researchers have developed a new solar cell that, in principle, will minimize all of these solar energy technology limitations.
In particular, the device is the first to solve the problem of the Grätzel cell, a promising low-cost and environmentally friendly solar cell with a significant disadvantage: it leaks. The dye-sensitized cell's electrolyte is made of an organic ...
Scientists discover a new sensory organ in the chin of baleen whales
2012-05-23
Lunge feeding in rorqual whales (a group that includes blue, humpback and fin whales) is unique among mammals, but details of how it works have remained elusive. Now, scientists from the Smithsonian Institution and University of British Columbia have solved the mystery. They discovered a sensory organ in the chin of rorqual whales that communicates to the brain. The organ orchestrates the dramatic changes and adjustments needed in jaw position and throat-pouch expansion to make lunge feeding successful. The team's research will be the featured cover story in the May 24 ...
Hormone plays surprise role in fighting skin infections
2012-05-23
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules produced in the skin to fend off infection-causing microbes. Vitamin D has been credited with a role in their production and in the body's overall immune response, but scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say a hormone previously associated only with maintaining calcium homeostasis and bone health is also critical, boosting AMP expression when dietary vitamin D levels are inadequate.
The finding, published in the May 23, 2012 online issue of Science Translational Medicine, more fully explains ...
Incentives Specialist Leighmans Heads for GBP1m Revenues in 2012
2012-05-23
Leading provider of corporate gifts and customizable incentives Leighmans this week reports that it is on course for GBP1m revenues during the current financial year.
Leighmans specializes in innovative corporate gifts and this year has seen demand for products rise despite the continuing economic climate. Customers have been requesting items, from pens to mugs, post-it notes to badges and polo shirts - in increasing numbers.
Leighmans has been operating for more than 10 years now and the company has enjoyed steady growth. According to founder Darren Leigh, the company ...
Camarillo Dentist Offers Invisalign and New Patient Promotions
2012-05-23
Dr. Charles Scholler, dentist in Camarillo, is pleased to be able to offer his patients a $500 discount on Invisalign treatment. He hopes the promotion will spur some of his patients to make the decision to undergo treatment to straighten their teeth with Invisalign.
"I am happy and excited to be able to offer this promotion to our patients. Invisalign is a great way for patients to straighten their teeth without having to wear braces. I hope that this promotion will encourage some of our patients to make the decision to undergo Invisalign treatment," said ...
Reverse engineering epilepsy's 'miracle' diet
2012-05-23
For decades, neurologists have known that a diet high in fat and extremely low in carbohydrates can reduce epileptic seizures that resist drug therapy. But how the diet worked, and why, was a mystery—so much so that in 2010, The New York Times Magazine called it "Epilepsy's Big, Fat Miracle."
Now, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School have proposed an answer, linking resistance to seizures to a protein that modifies cellular metabolism in the brain. The research, to be published in the May 24th issue of the journal Neuron, may lead to ...
Children's body fat linked to Vitamin D insufficiency in mothers
2012-05-23
Children are more likely to have more body fat during childhood if their mother has low levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy, according to scientists at the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (MRC LEU), University of Southampton.
Low vitamin D status has been linked to obesity in adults and children, but little is known about how variation in a mother's status affects the body composition of her child.
Low vitamin D status is common among young women in the UK, and although women are recommended to take an additional 10μg/day of vitamin D in ...
Frederick Podiatrist Keeps Patients Up to Date with Weekly Newsletters
2012-05-23
Dr. Daniel Micheals, Frederick podiatrist from the Reconstructive Foot & Ankle Institute, is happy to be able to offer weekly newsletters to his patients. The newsletters are designed to increase patients' awareness of different foot-related topics.
With topics ranging from stress fractures to athlete's foot, the Frederick, MD podiatrist's newsletters are designed to cover a large range of topics. It is very important to take care of your feet and ankles and Dr. Michaels hopes that the newsletters help to educate his patients to give them the knowledge necessary ...