Researchers have found that a reaction between immune system cells and blood vessels in the brain could play a key role in epilepsy(てんかん). Epilepsy, a seizure(発作)disorder, affects about 1% of the world’s general population, and while current drug treatments can control seizures in most people, they can also cause severe side effects. This study found that, in mice, seizures stimulate the release of a chemical that causes infection-fighting white blood cells(白血球)to stick to blood vessels. Molecules(分子)released by the immune cells then cause damaging inflammation(炎症)and contribute to future seizures. Drugs that target this process may one day help treat epilepsy.