Melissa Barker-Haliski: Neural Network Hyperexcitability, Epilepsy, Aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease

Normally activity in the brain’s neural networks is tightly regulated by the interplay between neuronal excitation by the neurotransmitter glutamate and inhibition by GABA. An epileptic seizure is a dramatic example of what can happen when an abrupt excitatory imbalance occurs. However, excitatory imbalances also occur during aging and contribute to the dysfunction and degeneration of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode I talk with University of Washington Associate Professor Melissa Barker-Haliski about how neural network activity is normally regulated, the causes of hyperexcitability in neurological disorders, and the benefits and pitfalls of drugs that suppress neural network excitability. LINKS Barker-Haliski lab page: https://sites.uw.edu/mhaliski/ Review articles: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Original research articles: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub... https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/e...