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To see if they could prevent neurons from becoming permanently epileptic, the researchers used an experimental glutamate receptor-blocker, called IEM-1460, which has been shown to reduce neuron hyperexcitability in models of mice with epilepsy.

"Our data suggests that the elevated PSD-95 is contributing to hyperexcitability in the brain. That's a common phenotype is some of the early stages of Alzheimer's disease patients: They tend to have hyperexcitability or elevated seizure susceptibility in the brain, preceding and exacerbating the neurodegeneration that follows," said Tsai, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I.

"Our findings show that PSD-95 is a critical contributor to the hyperexcitability in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's. So we think that PSD-95 can be an early biomarker to indicate that a patient could have Alzheimer's disease or elevated seizure susceptibility. In terms of treatment, antibody inhibitors for PSD-95 could be useful in the early onset of Alzheimer's, with more clinical study."

The treatment improved mitochondrial function and reduced the neurons' hyperexcitability.

"When RACK1 is lower in fragile X neurons, the mitochondria are suffering and the neurons exhibit mitochondrial deficit and hyperexcitability, like immature neurons. But when we reintroduce RACK1, we can rescue this," Zhao says.