Understanding memory problems in temporal lobe epilepsy to help people with epilepsy
Official title: Cell Type-Specific Transcriptional Changes Underlying Memory Impairment in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11369875 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher at UCLA is exploring why memory worsens in temporal lobe epilepsy and how we might protect or restore memory for patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $240,474 |
| NIH project number | 5K08NS123509-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369875 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with temporal lobe epilepsy and memory difficulties who could participate in future translational studies or related clinical trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without memory complaints or those not connected to temporal lobe epilepsy may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on memory difficulties common in temporal lobe epilepsy and uses knowledge from human brain and animal models to map how memory circuits change after seizure-like events. The team will look at specific hippocampal cell types and how their activity and connections degrade over weeks, with the goal of identifying when interventions could prevent memory decline. Findings could point to new strategies to keep spatial memory stable in people with TLE and guide future therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to therapies that protect or restore memory in people with temporal lobe epilepsy.
How similar studies have gone: Other studies in animal models have shown linked changes in hippocampal networks to memory deficits, supporting this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ho, Victoria — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Ho, Victoria
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding memory problems in temporal lobe epilepsy
This study is looking at how changes in brain cells might affect memory in people with temporal lobe epilepsy, using mice to help find ways to improve memory for those who have this condition.
-
Scaling Up Task-Shifted Epilepsy Care for Children in Africa
A study to help children with epilepsy in Africa get diagnosed and receive seizure care through trained community health workers.
-
Closed-loop control of interneuron timing to influence seizures and memory in epilepsy
A study tests a brain-quieting system that uses light to precisely time certain brain cells in epilepsy-prone mice to see if this can lessen seizures and improve memory.
-
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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Exploring epilepsy genes in zebrafish to understand human brain seizures
A study in zebrafish will model human epilepsy genes to help explain how certain brain mutations contribute to seizures.
-
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.
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.