RCSI. Ireland: Neuroscientists from RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) have
made a breakthrough in understanding what controls gene activity in
epilepsy, a disease associated with excessive electrical activity in the
brain that gives rise to seizures. The findings may also help explain
why epileptic states can be so persistent.
The research will be
published in the March edition of the leading neurology journal Brain.
Today marks International Epilepsy Awareness Day, to raise awareness of
this condition that affects approximately 37,000 people in Ireland.
Epilepsy is often associated with altered levels of genes in the brain
and this is thought to make the brain more excitable. The researchers
looked for a chemical change to DNA called methylation which acts as a
long-lasting on / off switch for gene activity and is thought to be one
way that brain cells store biochemical memories. More than 30,000 gene
sites were studied using brain tissue from patients with epilepsy. The
research found that a number of human genes are controlled in this way
and many were not previously linked to epilepsy. In some cases, the more
DNA methylation that occurred, the more gene activity was turned off.
The research also found that certain types of genes are more likely than
others to be under this type of control.
Dr Suzanne Miller-Delaney, lead author of the study said “This study is
the first of its kind in human epilepsy. It specifically aligns
deterioration of parts of the brain with structural changes in patient
DNA and gene activity. The study can help us to understand what is
controlling gene activity in epilepsy and why the epileptic state can be
so persistent.”
Professor David Henshall, from the RCSI Department of Physiology &
Medical Physics and Principal Investigator for the study adds “Epilepsy
affects about 37,000 in Ireland and this study could potentially offer
new targets for reversing epilepsy once established”.
The research was supported by a grant from Epilepsy Ireland, The Health
Research Board (HRB) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). Additional
researchers involved in the study included Prof Ray Stallings group from
the Department of Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics at RCSI and
researchers in Seattle, USA.