Despite advances in treatment, about one-third of people with epilepsy do not find relief with current medications. Brain inflammation is increasingly being recognized as a potential driver of epilepsy, but we don’t understand the exact cells and pathways involved in this process.
Microglia are a type of immune cell found in the brain and play a central role in coordinating inflammation in the nervous system. Recent research shows that there are different types of microglia. However, the presence and role of these microglial types in epilepsy has not been studied. Dr. Dolan’s project seeks to understand the role of a new type of microglia, called “IFN-microglia,” to study how these cells control brain inflammation in epilepsy.
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