Dr Andrew Trevelyan
Epilepsy Research UK Fellow

  • Email: andrew.trevelyan@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 222 5732
  • Fax: +44 (0) 191 222 5227
  • Address: Room MG162
    Institute of Neuroscience,
    Medical School
    Framington Place
    NE2 4HH

When the brain is working normally, very small numbers of brain cells are active at any given time.  Furthermore, the activity is kept tightly focussed as it flows through successive brain regions and is not allowed to spread out, in much the same way as water flowing in a river. 

The banks of the river determine where water can flow.  In the brain, the same job is done by a group of brain cells called inhibitory interneurons.  These brain cells allow activity to spread in one direction, but not to spread out sideways.  However, like a flood occurring when a bank is breached, these interneurons can fail too with similarly disastrous consequences.  Activity spreads out sideways, too many cells become active at once and an epileptic seizure is the result. 

A question I am trying to address in my research is what makes a brain seize.  Starting with tissue from a normal brain, one can increase the likelihood of “seizures” occurring, by changing the solution which bathes the neurons. After changing the solution, there is a very interesting transition period when the tissue behaves as if it were experiencing surges of activity, which are then overcome.  It is as if there are crises in the tissue, which are brought under control by the action of some powerful inhibition restraints.  I believe these restraints are rather like circuit breakers in electrical appliances, and my research has been directed at identifying which cells in the brain fulfil this role.

I am also interested in how these cells regulate activity in the brain.  This question is a fundamental one, addressing why cerebral cortex is built the way it is.  Furthermore, I want to understand the different ways in which these regulatory functions may break down.  We are also learning how to recognize when this pathology develops in humans.  For instance, we are using our insights from basic animal studies to learn how to interpret EEG recordings (electroencephalograms), one of the cornerstones of epilepsy diagnosis. 

 

(The picture shows me dancing with my daughter - a nicer image than any I had of me doing science!)