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Stem Cell Treatment for Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a brain disorder involving repeated and spontaneous seizures. Epilepsy is also called seizure disorder. A seizure occurs when a surge of electrical activity affects part of the brain. Seizures can have many symptoms and can last from a few seconds to several minutes. They are typically characterized by a loss of consciousness and convulsions. Embryonic stem cells can contribute to brain tissue regeneration and can reduce the frequency and severity of seizures, according to a study presented to the European Congress on Epileptology in Vienna, Austria.

  1. Stem Cells

    • There are three different kinds of stem cells, including adult, tissue-specific and embryonic, according to the National Institutes of Health. Stem cells have the ability to specialize into a variety of cell types. Embryonic stem cells are the most versatile and can develop into any other type of cell in the body.

    Stem Cells for Epilepsy

    • According to a study at the University of California Davis, approximately 30 percent of epileptic patients do not respond to current anticonvulsant medications. This has led researchers to work to find alternative treatments, including those involving stem cells.

    Neuropeptide Y

    • Neuropeptide Y (NPY), an anticonvulsant agent that exists in the healthy human brain, has been found to be deficient in a large percentage of epileptic patients. According to a study by the American Epilepsy Society, NPY has been found to be associated with electrical regulation in the brain. In a new research proposal from the University of California Davis, scientists hope to engineer stem cells to express NPY, and then introduce the engineered stem cells to the epileptic's brain.

    Additional Research

    • Researchers at the University of California have found that the plasticity of embryonic stem cells can help to repair brain cells that have been damaged by repeated seizures. Seizure disorders are characterized by the hyperexcitability of different types of brain cells, meaning they are more susceptible than healthy brain cells to electrical storms. Introducing healthy stem cells has been shown to calm this electrical brain activity in rats.

    Future Challenges

    • According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, scientists still do not fully understand how cells become specialized. There are still many problems with specializing stem cells in the lab. Specializing stem cells to perform specific functions is necessary for many stem cell therapies. Immune rejection is also a common problem with stem cell therapies, though this risk is minimized with embryonic stem cells. Unfortunately, until embryonic stem cells are readily available for research, their benefits and uses cannot be fully realized.

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