Diario Médico, in its section ‘Rare Diseases’, published a monographic on Lafora Disease. This disease is a progressive form of epilepsy associated with neurological and myoclonal damage, and 90% of the patients do not live beyond age 25. At the moment, treatments are strictly palliative, but since three years ago scientists are looking forward to prevent neuronal degeneration. The first clue in this direction came from a paper published in Nature Neuroscience by Joan J Guinovart, IRB Barcelona director , in collaboration with a group from CSIC, that demonstrates that the excess of glucose chains (glycogen) induces neuronal death and causes Lafora disease.

• Read the news (PDF in Spanish)
• Diario Médico Online