A third of individuals with epilepsy have seizures that cannot be controlled by available medications. Addressing this challenge requires an understanding of how nerve cells in the brain function and communicate with each other. Many individuals with epilepsy benefit from the use of the ketogenic diet, leading Drs. Roopra, Rutecki, and Burger to hypothesize that medications that control the body’s energy usage might also control epilepsy. They will collaborate to determine if the use of the common drug Metformin, which works by switching on a key sensor of energy levels in the brain—a protein called AMPK— can control epilepsy.
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