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A new study has revealed a pattern of molecules that appear in the bloodstream before a seizure. This discovery could lead to the development of an early warning system, which would allow people with epilepsy to know when they are at risk of a seizure.
Researchers at FutureNeuro, the SFI research center on rare and rare neurological diseases, hosted at RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland), led the study, which is published in the edition current Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI).
The researchers at FutureNeuro and RCSI have discovered molecules in the blood that are more common in people with epilepsy before a seizure. These molecules are transfer RNA fragments (tRNAs), a chemical substance closely related to DNA that plays an important role in the construction of proteins in the cell. When the cells are stressed, the tRNAs are cut into fragments. Higher levels of fragments in the blood may reflect the fact that brain cells are under stress during the crisis.
Using blood samples from people with epilepsy at the Beaumont Hospital Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in Dublin and at a similar specialized center in Marburg, Germany, the The group found that fragmentary levels of three tRNAs "rose" in the blood several hours before a seizure.
People with epilepsy often report that one of the most difficult aspects of living with the disease is to never know when a crisis will occur.
The results of this study are very promising. We hope that our research on tRNAs will be an essential first step in setting up a rapid alert system. "
Dr. Marion Hogg, FutureNeuro Investigator, Honorary Lecturer at RCSI and Lead Author of the Study
In Ireland, about 40,000 people have epilepsy and one-third of them do not respond to current treatments, which means they continue to face seizures. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 50 million people in the world suffer from epilepsy.
"New technologies to remove the unpredictability of uncontrolled epileptic seizures in people with epilepsy are a very real possibility," said Professor David Henshall, director of FutureNeuro and professor of molecular physiology and neuroscience at RCSI, co-author of the document.
"Based on this research, FutureNeuro hopes to develop a test prototype, similar to a blood glucose monitor, that can potentially predict when a crisis may occur."
Source:
RCSI
Journal reference:
Hogg, M.C. et al. (2019) The increase in plasma tRNA fragments precedes the seizures of human epilepsy. Journal of Clinical Investigation. doi.org/10.1172/JCI126346.
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