Two children have a seizure. One child never has another seizure. Twenty years later, the other child has a series of seizures and is diagnosed with epilepsy. A study being led by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is looking at what could possibly happen in the development of these two children that would lead to such extreme variations in their neurologic health.

According to RPI’s press release:

The findings reveal that genetic predisposition, coupled with the occurrence of a patient’s first seizures, could set the neurologic stage for the later onset of epilepsy. The researchers are now on the hunt to determine what blip in the genetic code could separate a child who will develop epilepsy from a child who will not.

Scientists are now using some of latest genetic tools to locate the genes that could be protecting some of the mouse models from the long-lasting change in their brains following the initial seizures.

Rensselaer’s research is important not only to help find ways to treat epilepsy, but possibly prevent the condition.

Source: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute via Newswise