Interleukin-6 (IL-6) acutely and directly induces hyperexcitability associated with epilepsy and autism in rat brain. (2012)
From the article:
Garcia and Atzori hypothesized that the protein IL-6 acutely and directly induces hyper-excitability by altering the balance between excitation and inhibition within synaptic communication. In other words, IL-6 is not just present when hyper-excitability occurs in the nervous system. It may actually cause it in some circumstances, Garcia said.
The UT Dallas research team administered IL-6 to rat brain tissue and monitored its synaptic excitability. The brain tissue exhibited higher than normal excitability in their synapses, a symptom that may lead to misfiring of signals in epilepsy and other conditions.
Enjoying this research? Get deeper insights like this delivered every other week.
Every other week our Premium Members receive deep dives like this alongside Rhonda's commentary and 8+ other hand-picked papers.
The researchers then injected sgp130 -a novel drug that acts as an IL-6 blocker- into the laboratory animals' brains. The substance limited excitability and appeared to prevent the conditions that lead to related neurological and psychiatric disorders, Garcia said.