Seize the Moment

The price for protection against brain tumours (stained blue, left, in this mouse brain section) may be a higher risk of seizures. This is because the cells that block a tumour’s spread become damaged by the tumour. These star-shaped (green), called astrocytes, typically support the brain’s many functions. However, the tumour makes them lose their ability to dampen down levels of chemicals that trigger bursts of brain activity. High levels of these 'excitatory' chemicals can cause a sudden electrical disturbance across the brain: a seizure. To make it worse, the tumours themselves can release toxic levels of these chemicals, which kill off nearby brain cells, making space for the tumour to grow. Most patients with brain tumours develop seizures that can be debilitating. Epilepsy drugs work for some, but not all patients. Researchers hope that studying tumour growth in mice will give insights into how to treat the cancer without triggering seizures.

Written by Deborah Oakley

Deborah Oakley

Writer

Deborah is researching healthy cognitive ageing at the University of Cambridge. She previously worked as a science communicator in London, working closely with the BPoD team.

• Image from work by Susan C.Campbell and Carmen Muñoz-Ballester, and colleagues, Virginia Tech
• Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience, Blacksburg, VA, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Published in Neurochemistry International, February 2020