For their study, the researchers focused on analyzing the activity of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the brains of rats with and without epilepsy.
CRF is a neurotransmitter - a chemical that enables communication between nerve cells - that regulates the behavioral response to stress.
The researchers assessed how CRF affected the piriform cortex of the rodents, which is a region of the brain in which seizures are known to occur among humans with epilepsy.
Among rats without epilepsy, the researchers found that CRF reduced activity in the piriform cortex of the brain. Among rats with epilepsy, however, they found CRF did the opposite, increasing activity in the piriform cortex.
