[In Context] An ethical framework to assess covert consciousness

The potential for cognitive motor dissociation in patients who are behaviourally unresponsive after a severe brain injury poses profound ethical challenges. An international study revealed that one in four patients who appear unresponsive to verbal commands is capable of doing cognitive tasks detected through functional MRI or EEG (ie, has cognitive motor dissociation). Cognitive motor… Continue reading [In Context] An ethical framework to assess covert consciousness

Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A Knockout in Parvalbumin and Somatostatin Interneurons Drives Seizures in the Postnatal Mouse Brain

Synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) is a presynaptic protein targeted by the antiseizure drug levetiracetam. One or more of the three SV2 genes is expressed in all neurons and is essential to normal neurotransmission. Loss of SV2A results in a seizure phenotype in mice and mutations in humans are also linked to congenital seizures. How… Continue reading Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A Knockout in Parvalbumin and Somatostatin Interneurons Drives Seizures in the Postnatal Mouse Brain

Disinhibition across Secondary Motor Cortical Regions during Motor Sequence Learning: A TMS-EEG Study

Secondary motor cortical regions, such as the supplementary motor area (SMA), are involved in planning and learning motor sequences; however, the neurophysiological mechanisms across these secondary cortical networks remain poorly understood. In the primary motor cortex, changes in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission (E:I balance) accompany motor sequence learning. In particular, there is an early reduction… Continue reading Disinhibition across Secondary Motor Cortical Regions during Motor Sequence Learning: A TMS-EEG Study

Gene therapy breakthrough offers hope for severe Dravet syndrome cases

Researchers successfully use an adeno-associated viral vector to restore brain function in a mouse model of SCN1B-linked DEE52, reducing seizures and extending lifespan, paving the way for future gene therapy in patients. Study: Neonatal but not Juvenile Gene Therapy Reduces Seizures and Prolongs Lifespan in SCN1B-Dravet Syndrome Mice. Image Credit: Natali _ Mis/Shutterstock.com Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies… Continue reading Gene therapy breakthrough offers hope for severe Dravet syndrome cases

Epileptiform Electrographic Patterns After Cardiac Arrest

This Viewpoint challenges conventional clinical practice that eschews pharmacological intervention for comatose patients with epileptiform abnormalities after cardiac arrest using evidence from the Treatment of Electroencephalographic Status Epilepticus after Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (TELSTAR) trial.

Circuit Reorganization of Subicular Cell-Type-Specific Interneurons in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

The subiculum represents a crucial brain pivot in regulating seizure generalization in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), primarily through a synergy of local GABAergic and long-projecting glutamatergic signaling. However, little is known about how subicular GABAergic interneurons are involved in a cell-type–specific way. Here, employing Ca2+ fiber photometry, retrograde monosynaptic viral tracing, and chemogenetics in epilepsy… Continue reading Circuit Reorganization of Subicular Cell-Type-Specific Interneurons in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy