Thalamic GABA in Absence Epilepsy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Thalamic GABA in childhood and juvenile absence epilepsy
IRAS ID
276611
Contact name
Vincenzo Crunelli
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The purpose of this project is gain a greater understanding of Absence Seizures in children through advanced brain scanning.
Absence seizures are a common type of epileptic seizure in certain types of epilepsy in children. The seizures consist of a blank stare and loss of contact with the surroundings for several seconds. Children can get 10s or 100s of these seizures through the day. The seizures do not always respond to medical treatment, existing treatments can have side effects, and the epilepsy itself is associated with problems of mood and thinking.
Work in animal models of this type of epilepsy has shown that the seizures are caused by increased levels of a chemical called GABA in a part of the brain called the thalamus. GABA is a neurotransmitter, a chemical in the brain that has a role in messages passing between nerve cells. The thalamus has a key role in regulating brain function, sleep and alertness. Animal studies suggest that levels of GABA in the thalamus are too high in absence epilepsy
A new brain scanning technique with MRI, called magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), can measure GABA levels in people with a brain scan.
This project proposes to measure and compare GABA levels in the thalamus of children with absence seizures with levels in healthy controls. We will also assess the psychological tests, around thinking speed and processing in these children to compare with the scan findings, along with a spit sample for DNA testing, an important area in understanding the causes of this epilepsy.
REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
20/WA/0086
Date of REC Opinion
8 Oct 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion