Why fevers can cause seizures in infants and toddlers
Official title: A developmental mechanism of temperature-sensitive seizures towards therapeutic manipulation
Funded at Children's Hosp of Philadelphia · NIH-11252172 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at how changes in certain brain cells in early childhood make fevers trigger seizures in babies and young children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hosp of Philadelphia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $574,955 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS137604-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252172 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates who might benefit from this line of research are infants and toddlers (roughly 6 months to 5 years) who have had febrile seizures or who have epilepsy syndromes with fever‑related seizures such as Dravet syndrome.
✕Less likely to help
People without fever‑related seizures or adults whose seizures are unrelated to fever are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
This project focuses on febrile seizures, the fevers that cause convulsions in many infants and toddlers and then usually stop as children get older. Scientists will examine a specific group of brain cells called GABAergic inhibitory interneurons to see how warming affects their ability to fire electrical signals during a narrow developmental window. The team will use precise electrical recordings and advanced imaging in lab models to measure how sodium and potassium channels change with temperature. Results are meant to point to targets that could prevent repeated fever‑triggered seizures and lower the chance of later epilepsy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new ways to prevent or reduce fever-triggered seizures in young children and lower the risk of later epilepsy.
How similar studies have gone: Prior laboratory studies have linked ion channel function and inhibitory cell failure to febrile seizures, but this project uses new tools to directly test temperature sensitivity during development, so it builds on existing findings while addressing novel questions.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Goldberg, Ethan M — Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
- Study coordinator: Goldberg, Ethan M
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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.