BANKING ON BRAINS
Dr Veronica Miller explains that while Ireland has a lot to gain from excellence in research, scientists are being frustrated by an absence of guidelines and structural supports.
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more of the hippocampal cells died than when the tissues rains are big business in the Irish economy. Not just had a normally functioning 14-3-3 protein after a seizure was because about 700,000 people in the country have a chemically induced. This told them that 14-3-3 is essential to neurological disorder. But also because a number of new help cells in the hippocampus survive seizures. companies which are vital to our recovering economy are Prof Henshall is hopeful that his work could lead to new involved in the manufacture of drugs and devices aimed therapies to help neurons survive in the hippocampal tissues of at making our brains work better. Currently 13 of the people with epilepsy who have seizures. world’s largest 15 pharmaceutical His team now has mice which were companies such as Wyeth, Abbot specially engineered to manufacture and GlaxoSmithKline have plants supra-normal levels of 14-3-3. They in Ireland. They manufacture many figured that if shushing 14-3-3 meant drugs designed to treat neurological fewer cell’s survived a seizure, then by disorders, and directly employ 24,500 increasing the levels of the protein, more people providing a major boon to cells should survive. And excitingly our economy. In order to attract these they’ve found that mice with higher high-skills jobs it’s important we levels of the protein are more resilient have a highly-educated research rich to seizures, which suggests that 14-3-3 population. For this reason we’re can protect against brain injury. This currently investing heavily in science clever molecular approach should lead and technology. to better treatments for people with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) epilepsy. receives about €160 million per year of Investing in research attracts additional government funds dedicated towards investment from abroad. research. With investment from overseas SEEGing seizures and indigenous companies, estimated by Not only are SFI funded researchers the IDA at €400 million annually, that are directly driven by the trying to help treat seizures, they are also trying help diagnose research strengths in Ireland, some would argue it’s an enviable them. Seizures are uncontrollable electrical impulses which return. And coupling our academic research with partners in can affect any area of the brain. Like lightening, they industry is a key to this return. can hit randomly and trigger all kinds of problems. In older people its easy to detect seizures, because we have a wide-range of usually co-ordinated and Silencing seizures predictable behaviours. So when people appear Professor David Henshall is one of many SFI funded blank-faced and unresponsive, clinical staff can guess scientists doing cutting edge brain-research. Professor this is because they are having a seizure in a region Henshall is particularly interested in people with that regulates their normal behaviour. epilepsy and understanding how to better treat In babies however it’s a different story. Babies seizures. One part of the brain that’s activated during often times burping, smile randomly at strangers seizures is the hippocampus, which also helps forms and stare blankly at overhead hanging mobiles. Their memories and is located inside your head above your behaviour can be random and unpredictable. This ears. Cells in the hippocampus can die off in some Prof David makes it very difficult to know when they are having people with epilepsy. Prof Henshall’s team at the Royal Henshall is working seizures or are simply sleepy. And the current ways College of Surgeons, are hoping in helping them to on epilepsy. of diagnosing seizures, using complicated electri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