Immune cells in the brain may help prevent seizures.

Research in mice reveals that immune cells in the brain constantly survey their neighborhood for overexcited nerve cells.

The findings could shed light on neurological conditions in which nerves are 'hyper excitable,' such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.

The established view among neuroscientists has been that the cells are looking for invading pathogens or evidence of damage.

'Why would a cell expend so much energy for something that might never happen? I always thought there must be another reason for microglia to be moving all the time, likely related to a normal function in the brain,' she adds.

Dr. Akassoglou and her colleagues have now shown that the cells use their processes to monitor neighboring nerve cells for signs of overexcitement.

When they touch overactive cells, the processes somehow limit their activity and prevent seizures.

Hyper excitable neurons are known to be involved in a wide range of neurological conditions...

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