Epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder and affects around 350,000 people in the UK. However, for approximately one in four epilepsy sufferers, there is no effective medication.

Calcium ions are important within all cells including those in the brain but an excessive influx of them, as happens in an epileptic seizure, may lead to brain damage. By using modern genetic techniques these researchers aim to identify which of the processes that depend on calcium ions are affected following epileptic activity. This research may identify new strategies to prevent seizure-induced brain-damage and so improve the quality of life of many epileptic patients.