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Published online 6 March 2008 |
Nature
| doi:10.1038/news.2008.652
Corrected online: 7 March 2008
News
Epilepsy drug saves rats from seizures
Drug seems to be effective even months after treatment has stopped.
Scientists have discovered that a drug already used to control a type of epileptic seizure can also prevent future seizures in rats. Although many medications are used to control the symptoms of epilepsy, this is the first time that a drug has successfully halted progression of the disease.
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"Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut looked at rats that had been genetically engineered" - actually they use WAG/Rij rats, this line was established at 1986 and its not transgenic (http://www.socsci.ru.nl/wagrij/info.html).
Déjà vu. I have learned it 30 years ago in medical school that the outlook of typical petit mail is very good. Most children eventually outgrow the disease with no major consequences on school performance or life quality. Most web sites advise that "Once your child begins taking a seizure medicine, treatment usually continues for at least two years.". That is, most humans, like most WAG rats, need only transient treatment for absence epilepsy.
I find it very interesting that many practitioners and scientific studies have also reported benefit from the treatment with Taurine. Taurine is also a Calcium channel regulator.
It is indeed an important finding. We however need to recall that a couple of drugs that have shown antiepileptogenic potential in rodent models in past do not seem to have prophylactic effect in patients of epilepsy.