Discovery of new function of prion protein improves understanding of epilepsy
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 - 21:28
in Health & Medicine
Cellular prion protein (PrPc) plays an essential role in maintaining neurotransmitter homeostasis in the central nervous system. This discovery has been made possible by the observation that both a deficiency and an excess of the protein have a considerable effect on this homeostasis. Surprisingly, in both cases, the central nervous excitability threshold is altered to such an extent that an epileptic seizure may result. Thanks to this discovery, researchers now have more tools at our disposal that can help deepen our basic understanding of epilepsy.