Discovered processes that cause brain dysfunction

The discovery of Dr. Alon Friedman, from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, recently earned him the Michael Prize, the prestigious prize in the field of epilepsy research

Research by Dr. Alon Friedman from the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University, which led to the discovery of processes that cause brain dysfunction, recently won him the prestigious international prize in the field of epilepsy research, the Michael Prize, for 2007. The prize will be awarded to him at the International Epilepsy Convention to be held in Singapore in July this year.

Cerebral infarction, head injuries, epilepsy and degenerative diseases of the brain are an important factor in mortality and morbidity in the Western world. Despite the high prevalence of these diseases, the processes that lead to brain dysfunction and cell death in most patients are still unclear. In recent years, it has become clear that the blood-brain barrier plays a critical role in preventing unwanted interactions between blood components and brain cells. It seems that in order to understand the processes underlying many diseases of the central nervous system, it is necessary to understand the interactions between blood components, the blood-brain barrier and cells in the nervous system.

Dr. Friedman has been researching the role of the blood-brain barrier during the development of brain diseases for over 10 years. A recent study in his laboratory (in collaboration with Sebastian Evans, PhD student, Prof. Eva Heinemann from the Faculty of Medicine in Berlin and Prof. Kaufer from the University of California at Berkeley) resulted in the discovery of seven breaches of the blood-brain barrier, the common blood protein albumin, creates interactions with specific brain cells (cells the glia) and triggers a series of changes in the expression of genes that lead to a disorder in the function of the nerve cells (a disorder that in some cases can manifest as epileptic seizures), and subsequently - to the degeneration and death of the nerve cells. Dr. Friedman and his group showed that preventing the interactions between blood components and brain cells prevents brain damage in most animals.

Dr. Friedman's research brought, together with Dr. Ilan Shelf from the M.R.I. At the Soroka Medical Center, for a series of observations that verified the findings in laboratory animals and offer a new approach to the prevention and treatment of diseases of the nervous system. Dr. Friedman's work earned him, as mentioned, these days the prestigious international prize in the field of epilepsy research (Michael Prize) for 2007.