Epilpesy Pt 2.

Much of the epilepsy research done today focuses on understanding biological and neural structures and networks. Researchers have progressively investigated the links between neurotransmitter signaling and epilepsy. These biochemical messengers, neurotransmitters, offer a gateway to understanding the mechanisms that underlie epilepsy. Notably, GABAergic signaling has become of great interest in epilepsy research. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain. It performs its functions by maintaining an inhibitory tone that counterbalances neuronal excitation (Treiman et al., 2001). Perturbation of this balance between inhibition and excitation may result in seizures. GABA is a versatile neurotransmitter. Early on in development, it performs some excitatory functions that trigger corticogenesis (Wang and Kriegstein, 2009). GABAergic signaling plays a crucial role in the origin and spread, or suppression, of epilepsy. This is revealed in studies that used chemical agents to impair GABAergic signaling in animal models (Meldrum, 1989). Furthermore, GABA-mimetic molecules have been shown to be potent anticonvulsant therapies in seizure-prone mammals (Meldrum, 1989).