Mossy cells' role in temporal lobe epilepsy
Official title: Mossy Cells in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Funded at Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res · NIH-11248427 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how a specific brain cell called a mossy cell affects seizure damage and ongoing seizures in people with temporal lobe epilepsy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Orangeburg, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $460,964 |
| NIH project number | 5R37NS126529-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248427 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with temporal lobe epilepsy, especially those who had a recent brain insult that triggered seizures or who have chronic, medication-resistant TLE, would be most relevant to this line of work.
✕Less likely to help
People with other epilepsy types (for example generalized epilepsy) or those whose seizures are already well controlled with medication are less likely to see direct benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
This work focuses on mossy cells, a type of nerve cell in the hippocampus that can both excite and inhibit the brain circuits involved in seizures. Researchers will examine how mossy cell connections change right after an initial brain injury that can lead to temporal lobe epilepsy and later during chronic epilepsy, mainly using laboratory experiments that track cell activity and seizure-related damage. The team proposes that blocking mossy cells during the initial insult could reduce excitotoxic damage, while activating them in chronic epilepsy could help suppress seizures. If confirmed, the findings could point to time-sensitive ways to prevent epilepsy after an injury or to reduce chronic seizures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new timing-based treatment strategies—blocking mossy cells early after an injury and boosting them later to lower seizure risk or frequency.
How similar studies have gone: Previous laboratory and animal studies have examined mossy cell functions with mixed results, and this proposal tests a relatively new timing-based hypothesis that has not yet been proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res
Orangeburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Scharfman, Helen E — Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psych Res
- Study coordinator: Scharfman, Helen E
Related research
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Epilepsy Data Ecosystem: A Big-Data Sharing Platform for Better Care
A national effort to collect and share large, multi‑modal brain data from people with medication‑resistant epilepsy to speed discoveries and improve treatment options.
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A study in zebrafish will model human epilepsy genes to help explain how certain brain mutations contribute to seizures.
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New MRI tools to better plan pediatric epilepsy surgery
A new MRI-based approach helps doctors decide the best time to surgically remove brain tissue in children with difficult-to-control seizures.
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Sahel Epilepsy Study: finding patterns in epilepsy in rural Africa and its links to genes
A plan to study epilepsy in rural Nigeria to discover how common it is, what factors affect risk, and how genetics may influence it, with results that could improve care for people with epilepsy.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.