Thursday, June 7, 2012

Angelman syndrome: Brain cell activity imbalance may account for seizure susceptibility

Brain cell activity imbalance may account for seizure susceptibility in Angelman syndrome


CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – New research by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine may have pinpointed an underlying cause of the seizures that affect 90 percent of people with Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Published online Thursday June 7, 2012 in the journal Neuron, researchers led by Benjamin D. Philpot, PhD, professor of cell and molecular physiology at UNC, describe how seizures in individuals with AS could be linked to an imbalance in the activity of specific types of brain cells.

"Our study indicates that a common abnormality that may apply to many neurodevelopmental disorders is an imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition," Philpot said. This imbalance has been observed in several genetic disorders including Fragile X and Rett syndromes, both of these, like AS, can be associated with autism.



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