Of mice and men
Although this study used mice, Chris Dulla, PhD, associate professor and director of the neuroscience graduate program at Tufts University in Boston, said the finding is “probably pretty transferable” to humans.
Dr. Chris Dulla
“This is the first study that really showed it,” he said of the link between myelin changes and seizure frequency. “I think people have suspected it, but that’s why this is kind of a big deal because this is one of the first studies to show it conclusively.”
He offered suggestions for validating the findings in humans. “The first thing would be to do imaging studies in people where you can examine to see if those white matter tracks are altered in a similar way in people with epilepsy,” he said. “I think now this study gives us good reason to undertake the work that it would take to ask that question and answer it in the human brain.”
Dr. Knowles and Dr. Dulla have no relevant relationships to disclose.