Valproic acid—a drug used to treat epilepsy, migraine, and bipolar disorder—can cause birth defects when taken during pregnancy. Now, a study publishing June 14 in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Bill Keyes of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, France, and colleagues reveals one reason why: valproic acid (VPA) puts some cells of the developing nervous system into senescence, a kind of halted state that keeps them from growing and dividing correctly.
Study reveals how epilepsy and migraine drug causes birth defects
Valproic acid—a drug used to treat epilepsy, migraine, and bipolar disorder—can cause birth defects when taken during pregnancy. Now, a study publishing June 14 in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Bill Keyes of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, France, and colleagues reveals one reason why: valproic acid (VPA) puts some cells of the developing nervous system into senescence, a kind of halted state that keeps them from growing and dividing correctly.