Office of Public Relations — Newsroom
News Release
Study: UCDHSC Researchers Link CO2 Levels in the Brain to Seizures
Findings
could lead to new treatments for epileptic seizures and chronic fatigue
DENVER (Dec. 21, 2005) — Researchers at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center have discovered how carbon dioxide(CO2) affects excitability levels in the brain — levels that could cause epileptic seizures or could put you to sleep. The findings will be published in the Dec. 22 issue of Neuron.
For the study, brain tissue was exposed to varying levels of CO2 to determine the effect of CO2 on seizure propensity. The research team found an increase in CO2 reduced the excitability of brain cells while decreases in CO2 increased excitability.
"In this study, we found that CO2 influenced the excitability of neurons in the brain through two molecules — ATP and adenosine," said Chris Dulla, PhD, primary investigator of the study for UCDHSC. "ATP is the molecule that lets cells store energy and adenosine is the same molecule that caffeine blocks in the brain to make us feel more alert. Our study showed a relationship between the molecules the brain uses to store energy and the risk of having a seizure for those susceptible to seizures."
Kevin Staley, MD, professor of pediatric neurology at the CU School of Medicine and co-author of the paper said: "A decrease in CO2 led to a decrease of adenosine concentration in the brain and acts in the same way a cup of coffee might on the brain — it makes the brain more alert. Conversely, an increase in CO2 would increase adenosine concentrations in the brain, which would make a person more lethargic."
When asked how this research might apply to other areas of medical research or future studies, Staley said: "Patients undergoing routine electroencephalography (EEG) are always asked to hyperventilate. We have known for more than 50 years that hyperventilation induces seizures, but we haven't known why. Our findings provide the link between hyperventilation and the brain alterations recorded on the EEG. This new knowledge will help us develop new strategies to treat seizures, and could lead to the design of new drugs and focus attention on new classes of genetic mutations that could cause epilepsy."
The University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center is one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at www.uchsc.edu.