Seizure drops

Description

People with epilepsy usually experience recurrent seizures. These seizures occur due to a disruption of electrical activity in the brain, which temporarily disturbs the messaging systems between brain cells.

The main symptom of epilepsy is recurrent seizures. However, if a person experiences one or more of the following symptoms, they should seek medical attention, as it may indicate epilepsy:

• A convulsion with no fever
• Short blackouts or confused memory
• Intermittent fainting spells, during which they lose bowel or bladder control, frequently followed by extreme tiredness
• Temporary unresponsiveness to instructions or questions
• Sudden stiffness for no apparent reason
• Sudden falling for no apparent reason
• Sudden bouts of blinking without apparent stimuli
• Sudden bouts of chewing without any clear reason
• Temporarily seeming dazed and unable to communicate
• Repetitive movements that seem involuntary
• Fearfulness for no apparent reason
• Panic or anger
• Peculiar changes in senses, such as smell, touch, and sound
• Jerking arms, legs, or body, which will appear as a cluster of rapid jerking movements in babies

A recent study led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the new study found that CBD blocked signals carried by a molecule called Lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI). Found in brain cells called neurons, LPI is thought to amplify nerve signals as part of normal function, but can be hijacked by disease to promote seizures. 

Published online February 13 in Neuron, the work confirmed a previous finding that CBD blocks the ability of LPI to amplify nerve signals in a brain region called the hippocampus. The current findings argue for the first time that LPI also weakens signals that counter seizures, further explaining the value of CBD treatment.   

“Our results deepen the field’s understanding of a central seizure-inducing mechanism, with many implications for the pursuit of new treatment approaches,” says corresponding author Richard W. Tsien, PhD, chair of the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience at NYU Langone Health. 

“The study also clarified, not just how CBD counters seizures, but more broadly how circuits are balanced in the brain,” adds Dr. Tsien, also director of NYU Langone’s Neuroscience Institute. “Related imbalances are present in autism and schizophrenia, so the paper may have a broader impact.”