'Fat' drug could treat epilepsy

A substance made by the body when it uses fat as fuel could providea
new way of treating epilepsy, experts hope.
Researchers in London who have been carrying out preliminary tests of
the fatty acid treatment, report their findings in Neuropharmacology
journal.
They came up with the idea because of a special diet used by some
children with severe, drug resistant epilepsy to help manage their
condition.
The ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrate.
The high fat, low carbohydrate diet is thought to mimic aspects of
starvation by forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.
The identification of these fatty acids is an exciting breakthrough
Simon Wigglesworth, Epilepsy Action
Although often effective, the diet has attracted criticism, as
side-effects can be significant and potentially lead to constipation,
hypoglycaemia, retarded growth and bone fractures.
By pinpointing fatty acids in the ketogenic diet that are effective
incontrolling epilepsy, researchers hope they can develop a pill for
children and adults thatcould provide similar epilepsy control without
the side-effects.
In early trials, the scientists, from Royal Holloway and
UniversityCollege London, say they have identified fatty acids that
look likegood candidates for thejob.
They found that not only did some of the fatty acids outperform
aregular epilepsy medication called valproate in controlling seizures
in animals, they also had fewer side-effects.
Understanding epilepsy
*. Epilepsy is a condition in which disturbances to the brain's normal
electricalactivity result in seizures, sometimes known as fits
*. Seizures vary in severity from a few seconds of trance-like state
to loss of consciousness and convulsions - uncontrollable jerking of
the body
*. The condition is thought to affectabout 500,000 people in the UK -
roughly one in every 100
*. Triggers for seizures include flashing lights (such as strobe
effects), excessive alcohol, lack of sleep and stress
*. Medication cannot cure epilepsy but anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are
used to control seizures. These are effective in about 70% of cases
Source: BBC Health
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But many more tests areneeded to determine if the treatment would
besafe and effective in humans.
Prof Matthew Walker, from the Institute of Neurology, University
College London, said:"Epilepsy affects over 50million people worldwide
and approximately a third of these people have epilepsy that is not
adequately controlled by our present treatments.
"This discovery offers a whole new approach tothe treatment of
drug-resistant epilepsies in children and adults."
Simon Wigglesworth, deputy chief executive at Epilepsy Action,
said:"We know the ketogenic diet can be a highly effective treatment
for children with difficult to control epilepsy and it is starting to
be used for adults.
"The diet is high in fats and low in carbohydrates and the balance of
the diet needs to be carefully worked out for each child. Although
some children manage the diet very well, others find the diet
unpleasantand difficult to follow. Children can also experience
side-effects including constipation and weight loss.
"The identification of these fatty acids is an exciting breakthrough.
The research means that children and adultswith epilepsy could
potentially benefit fromthe science behind the ketogenic diet without
dramatically altering their eating habits or experiencing unpleasant
side-effects.
"We look forward to seeing how this research progresses."