Ana Beatriz De Paula E Silva
University of Utah, UT·Neuroscience·Early-career
Temporal lobe epilepsy, a seizure disorder starting in the side of the brain near the temples, is the most common form of epilepsy that develops after birth. About 30% of patients do not respond to current drugs.
- Fields
Neuroscience
Microbiology & Immunology
Pharmacology
- Topics
epilepsy
seizures
neuroinflammation
- Grants
- 1 known grant, last ended Aug 2026
What they work on
- Track when TREM1, a receptor that amplifies inflammation, appears on brain-infiltrating macrophages in TMEV-infected mice, and test whether genetic or drug blocking of TREM1 reduces acute seizures measured by video-EEG.
- Test whether the inflammatory signal IL-6 reduces calming GABA receptors on neuron surfaces, using a receptor biotinylation assay, and determine whether classical or trans-signaling IL-6 pathways drive seizures.
- Test whether shifting brain-infiltrating macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory state lessens acute seizures in TMEV-infected mice, monitored by video-EEG.
- Identify microRNAs in brain-infiltrating macrophages that drive inflammation during acute seizure development in TMEV-infected mice.
More about the research
Viral infection of the brain is a major cause, and brain inflammation seems to play a role, but how inflammation triggers seizures is unclear. This project uses a mouse model of virus-induced temporal lobe epilepsy, developed by the lab, in which mice infected with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) develop seizures.
Why it matters
Many people with temporal lobe epilepsy, including cases that follow brain infections, are not helped by current drugs. By showing how inflammatory macrophages and signals like IL-6 and TREM1 trigger seizures, this work could reveal these cells as new treatment targets and support therapies that prevent or treat epilepsy acquired after infection.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Susan Campbell
University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL·Neuroscience
Test whether inhaled exposure to electronic nicotine delivery systems with nicotine and menthol increases seizure susceptibility in rodents, using a vapor inhalation system.
Ivan Soltesz
Stanford University, CA·Neuroscience
Identify non-invasive behavioral biomarkers that predict chronic seizures and death, using MoSeq AI analysis of 3D video in mouse models of temporal lobe epilepsy and Dravet syndrome.
Barna Dudok
Baylor College of Medicine, TX·Neuroscience·Early-career
Test whether CCK and PV basket cells, two types of inhibitory neurons, are active in different brain states in a kainate mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy, using two-photon calcium imaging with hippocampal field recordings.
The school
University of Utah: 58 labs on PI Pages, $789M a year on research, 366 research doctorates a year.
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