New Research Provides Insight Into Dietary Approaches to Epilepsy

Research conducted by Boston Children’s Hospital has found new links between calorie restriction and seizures. Whilst the link between diet and seizures has been known since ancient times, first theorised by Ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates, it has never been truly clear what the link was and how it can be an effective way to limit or prevent seizure activity. 

Christopher J. Yuskaitis, MD, PhD, a neurologist with the Epilepsy Center and Epilepsy Genetics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital spoke about the research and noted that “This study is the first step in understanding how dietary therapies for epilepsy work, until now the mechanisms have been completely unknown”.

Researchers have long since known that a cellular pathway, known as the mTOR pathway is involved in a number of neurological disorders. Fasting is believed to inhibit activity within this specific pathway, which is partially why calorie restriction can be an effective way to reduce seizures, particularly in children. 

The research went one step further and conducted the study using mice to find that the absence of three amino acids, leucine, arginine and glutamine, during fasting accounted for most of the effects on the mTOR pathway. This finding could be the key to understanding how dietary therapies, including the ketogenic diet, are effective at inhibiting seizures. 

“Amino acid sensing seems to be critical for the beneficial effects of fasting on seizures,” says Yuskaitis. “This suggests that patients with DEPDC5 mutations can’t sense the loss of amino acids and may not benefit from dietary manipulation. But patients who don’t have DEPDC5 mutations may benefit from a targeted dietary strategy.”

What is the Impact of This Research?

The research opens up a whole new school of thought in the way we approach dietary therapies for epilepsy. By narrowing it down to three amino acids, there are new strategies that can be employed, including new diets that specifically aim to reduce just these three amino acids and allow for more calories, which could help more adults as well as children. 

“We’re hoping this will help us uncover additional dietary-based therapies other than the ketogenic diet, which is sometimes difficult to follow long-term due to side effects,” says Yuskaitis.

Similarly, there’s the potential for new medications or supplements which simply block the absorption of these three acids and prevent them from being ingested.