Suggesting a possible new link between protein deficiency and some cases of epilepsy, UC Davis researchers have found that rats deprived of certain protein components are more susceptible to a drug that causes seizures than were well-fed rats.
The researchers, led by veterinary scientist Dorothy Gietzen, speculate that when the diet lacks some essential amino acids, the so-called building blocks of protein, a brain structure that monitors amino acid levels may trigger a seizure.
