Possible Treatments Developed For Nerve-Based Conditions Like Epilepsy

Swedish researchers who analyzed 71 different resin acids from conifer trees found 12 that might be developed into medicines that might be used to treat the overly high excitability levels of nerve or cardiac cells. Overly-excited nerve cells are the root cause of conditions like epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia and chronic pain. The resin acid substances the researchers found act on potassium channels in nerve cells, where they keep cell transport pores open via an electrostatic mechanism and prevent harmful nerve activity.