Login Directory Merchandise Contact Us ... Abstracts/Annual Meeting Publications Full size image available below Epilepsy and GABA Years of research on the brain's message delivery system is paying off for patients with epilepsy. Scientists discovered that abnormal levels of chemicals such as GABA unbalance the system and may cause a seizure. Now they are developing new treatments that promote harmony in the message delivery system and efficiently ward off seizures. When a chemical thunderstorm churns in the brain, messages normally delivered with precision from one cell to the next gush out of control. This flood of nerve cell chatter may trigger parts of your body to contract rapidly, your mouth to salivate, a feeling of "deja vu" and even a total blackout a seizure. For years scientists have been analyzing the brain's message delivery system in order to find ways to control seizures. People who experience repeated seizures suffer from epilepsy. This ailment is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders, afflicting approximately one percent of Americans about 2.5 million people. Seizures can occur in healthy children, adults and the elderly as well as those with other disorders such as a brain injury. Traditional medications are not successful for all patients and carry numerous side effects. Now after a 15-year drought, several new epilepsy drugs are close to approval in the United States. Many of these recent developments stem from the discovery of the chemical GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid) in 1950. | |
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