Rice grad student’s discovery may be clue to epilepsy, autism, schizophreniaTo read the entire article, click here.
By Mike WilliamsTaking an unplanned detour from neurofibromatosis research, Eric Howlett [pictured] found something interesting: a potential clue to the roots of epilepsy, autism, schizophrenia and other neurological disorders.
The Rice University doctoral student had his “Aha!” moment while studying the peripheral nerves of the Drosophila, aka the fruit fly. That’s where he found an unanticipated connection between glutamate -- an amino acid and neurotransmitter found in much of the food we eat -- and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), an enzyme that, Howlett found, regulates the activity of neurons.
Photograph courtesy of Rice University.
