Stem cell research yields new epilepsy insights

US researchers have found a way of studying epilepsy using stem cell techniques for the first time.

A team from the University of Michigan Medical School and colleagues have been able to turn skin cells of epilepsy patients into stem cells, which were then converted into neurons to provide a miniature testing ground for epilepsy.

Using this model, it was found that a severe, rare genetic form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome was associated with an abnormally high level of sodium current activity, providing a new insight into the causes of this condition.

The new stem cell model was also shown to provide different results than previous studies with mice had revealed, thus underlining the importance of studying cells from human epilepsy patients.

Senior author Dr Jack Parent, professor of neurology at the University of Michigan, said: "These patient-specific induced neurons hold great promise for modeling seizure disorders and potentially screening medications."

Epilepsy affects more than 500,000 people in the UK, meaning almost one in 100 people has the condition.