A new study that was conducted by researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and published in Nature Medicineis suggesting that epilepsy may be triggered by a gene called microRNA.

The Irish study had researchers trying to figure out what causes epilepsy and this new gene discovery may hold the answers. This research may prove to be great news for epileptics in finding treatment options other than those like Topamax, which can be dangerous. Scientists focused their study on a new class of gene called a microRNA, which is a gene that controls protein production inside cells. They found that epileptics have a significantly higher level of microRNA-134 in their brain and that patient seizures could be prevented by using a newly-discovered drug called antagomir. Antagomir directly locks onto the microRNA-134 and takes it off of the brain cell.

Professor David Henshall, senior author of the paper, explained this finding by stating:

“We have been looking to find what goes wrong inside brain cells to trigger epilepsy. Our research has discovered a completely new gene linked to epilepsy and it shows how we can target these genes using drug-like molecules to reduce the brain’s susceptibility to seizures and the frequency in which they occur.”

“Our research found that the antagomir drug protects the brain cells from toxic effects of prolonged seizures and the effects of the treatment can last up to one month,” added his colleague, Dr. Eva Jimenez-Mateos.

Medications long have been used to treat epilepsy, and one of them is Topamax. While the drug has been proven to help in treating seizures, the drug is also linked to serious side effects. Some of the side effects linked to Topamax include birth defects in babies exposed to the drug in-utero. Some of those birth defects linked to Topamax include PPHN, oral clefts, neural tube defects and heart, lung and brain defects.

If your baby was born with any of these birth defects after being exposed to Topamax during gestation, contact Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your baby’s injuries.