Study May Reveal Cause of Epilepsy

Recently published in The Journal of Neuroscience, an animal study shows the first evidence that hyaluronic acid (HA) plays a role in epileptic seizures, providing a potential new approach for treatments. The study used mice to demonstrate a physiological role for HA in the maintenance of the brain’s extracellular space (ECS) volume. The team of researchers from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and SUNY Downstate Medical Center examined the role of HA using mutant mice deficient in each of the three hyaluronan synthase genes. “We showed that Has-mutant mice develop spontaneous epileptic seizures, indicating that HA is functionally involved in the regulation of neuronal excitability. Our study revealed that deficiency of HA results in a reduction in the volume of the brain’s ECS, leading to spontaneous epileptiform activity in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons,” said Sabina Hrabetova, MD, PhD, associate professor in the department of cell biology at SUNY Downstate. To learn more about the study, click here.