excitability

With this pacing protocol, the team was able to effectively control and terminate cardiac arrhythmias even at low energy intensities that do not activate the heart, but only modulate its excitability.

The consortium members asked Gutmann and Anastasaki to clarify the connection between Nf1 mutation, neuronal excitability and optic gliomas; assess whether lamotrigine was effective at the doses already proven safe in children with epilepsy; and conduct these studies in more than one strain of NF1 mice.

"The ketogenic diet has been proven to be effective for treatment-resistant epileptic seizures by reducing the excitability of neurons in the brain," Sethi said.

There is increasing evidence that psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder stem from metabolic deficits in the brain, which affect the excitability of neurons, Sethi said.

It may be used to treat conditions such as depression, where altered brain excitability and plasticity are prominent features.