Worldwide around five crore people are estimated to be suffering from epilepsy, over 80 percent of whom belong to lower- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.

The disease is chronic and occurs in people of all ages. People with the disease have up to three times the risk of dying prematurely and can often endure painful and injurious seizures.

However, very little is known about why, or how these seizures occur in the first place, therefore it has been harder to predict and treat the disease.

New research from the University of Virginia offers insights into the cause of the seizures, thereby promising better treatments for people suffering from epilepsy.

In a paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers write that the problems in the brain’s cortical microcircuits can trigger epileptic seizures. A type of brain cell, in particular, called the somatostatin interneurons can trigger epileptic seizures when it goes haywire.

Interneurons are generally thought to prevent seizures by safeguarding against excessive brain activity, however, the researchers found that somatostatin interneurons can drive the brain into excessive activity and therefore cause seizures.

“Identifying the particular nerve cells that contribute to seizures is important because it helps direct the ways researchers go about developing novel therapies,” said Manoj K. Patel, co-author of the paper and researcher at the University of Virginia’s Department of Anaesthesiology, in a press release. “Based on this research, we now have a new cellular target to try to restore balance to the brain and prevent seizures.”

Researchers say a particular gene called SCN8A, which is not inherited from the parents but occurs shortly after conception, causes these problems in the cortical microcircuits by triggering mutations.

Children with this mutation often suffer from seizures and do not respond to medications. They may also suffer from movement disorders and severe delays in development.

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