Vigabatrin Therapy Lowers MMP-9 Levels in Epileptic Spasms
⚠️ Infant dosing/safety: medication and diet decisions for infants require individualized medical guidance.
Source: Brain & development
Summary
This study looked at children with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS), a condition where seizures called spasms occur in babies, usually before they are 2 years old. Researchers focused on 12 patients who received vigabatrin therapy at Saitama Children's Medical Center between February 2019 and December 2024. They compared the levels of certain proteins in the blood, specifically matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), before and after starting the treatment, and also looked at a group of 14 healthy children for comparison.
The key findings showed that children with IESS had higher levels of MMP-9 in their blood compared to the healthy children. After starting vigabatrin therapy, the levels of MMP-9 decreased significantly in most of the patients, especially in those whose seizures had stopped by the end of the study. This suggests that vigabatrin may help improve a problem with the blood-brain barrier, which is important for brain health.
These results are important because they provide insight into how IESS affects the brain and how vigabatrin might help treat it. However, the study had a small number of participants, which means more research is needed to confirm these findings and understand the full impact of vigabatrin on IESS.
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