Removing senescent brain cells may reduce seizures in epilepsy
Temporal lobe epilepsy is one of the most common and difficult to treat forms of the disease. It is accompanied by recurrent seizures and cognitive impairments and is associated with premature aging of brain cells. About a third of patients do not achieve seizure control with existing medications, which makes the search for new therapeutic strategies especially urgent. Scientists from Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that clearing the brain of aging cells can reduce the frequency of seizures and improve memory in temporal lobe epilepsy. In an experiment on mice, this approach not only reduced the severity of seizures, but also prevented the development of the disease in some cases.
The researchers analyzed brain tissue samples from people with temporal lobe epilepsy obtained during surgery. About five times more senescent, or senescent, glial cells were found in these samples compared to the tissues of people without the disease. Glial cells play an important role in supporting and protecting neurons, and their disruption can significantly affect brain function.
Similar processes have been identified in the mouse model of the disease. Two weeks after the injury that triggers the development of epilepsy, the animals showed a sharp increase in markers of cellular aging. It has also been confirmed that the accumulation of senescent cells may be a key factor in the development of the disease.
When these senescent cells were removed (genetically or with the help of drugs), their number decreased by about half, the mice improved their cognitive performance, the number of seizures decreased, and some of the animals did not develop epilepsy at all. The results indicate that cellular aging not only accompanies the disease, but can directly participate in its formation.
A combination of dasatinib and quercetin was used as a medicinal approach. Dasatinib is already used in the treatment of certain forms of leukemia, and quercetin is a plant flavonoid with antioxidant and anti—inflammatory properties. This combination has previously shown effectiveness in destroying senescent cells in other disease models, which makes it promising for further research.
The authors emphasize that the safety of dasatinib has already been well studied, which means that the path to clinical trials in humans may be shorter. The team is currently continuing its work, exploring other drugs and time windows in which intervention may be most effective.
According to the researchers, the approach based on the removal of aging brain cells may in the future complement existing treatments for epilepsy, reduce the need for surgery and improve the quality of life of patients.
Published
December, 2025
Category
Medicine
Duration of reading
3-4 minutes
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Source
Scientific Journal Annals of Neurology. Article: «Senescent cell clearance ameliorates temporal lobe epilepsy and associated spatial memory deficits in mice»
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