| Research may lead to discovery of drugs to treat epilepsy and PMT |
| Written by News Desk | |
| Wednesday, 19 March 2008 | |
|
New drugs to treat epilepsy and PMT could be in the offing following leading research on a brain receptor, though a treatment negating the effects of alcohol based on the same work still remains the stuff of dreams.
A global collaboration led by the University of Cambridge in collaboration with Aston University and the University of Alberta has determined the structure of an uncommon but important type of GABA receptor in the brain, which is implicated in conditions such as epilepsy and pre-menstrual tension and is also reported to be highly sensitive to alcohol. GABAA receptors in the central nervous system play important roles in the body’s response to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a chemical used by the brain to control certain functions. By understanding how the receptors’ sub-units are arranged, scientists may now be able to develop drugs to block or stimulate them, providing hope for sufferers of a range of conditions. Dr Mike Edwardson, who led the research team, said that while in principle his work could underpin further research towards an anti-alcohol drug, as several other molecules in the brain are also targets for alcohol, it remains “something of a holy grail.” More likely is work on epilepsy and PMT. “Scientists think that when there is a problem in the signalling, conditions such as epilepsy and PMT can occur,” said Dr Edwardson. “Now we have identified the detailed structure of the receptor we are in a better position to design drugs that bind to it.” Different types of GABAA receptor have been shown to play various roles in the body’s control of behaviour and development. The Cambridge collaboration, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is the first to determine the structure of a type of GABAA receptor containing the so-called delta sub-unit. This receptor type is found in small numbers in the body but is thought to be disproportionately important in controlling our state of consciousness. It is highly sensitive to anaesthetics, and has been linked to epilepsy and pre-menstrual tension, and to the body’s response to alcohol.
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