New evidence of the mind-body connection in children's healing

Dr. Sookyong Koh has discovered evidence that children with epilepsy can benefit from a stimulating and supportive environment.

When Sookyong Koh, MD, PhD, worked as a staff doctor at a summer camp for children with epilepsy, she noticed that many of them appeared to be withdrawn, depressed and uninterested in exploring new situations. But by the end of the week-long camp she was struck by something unexpected: as a result of interacting with other campers, many of the kids showed a marked improvement in their mood and sense of well-being.

Koh, a researcher and attending physician at Children’s Memorial Epilepsy Center, wondered if there might be an underlying biological process involved in their improvement. She devised a research project, funded by The Davee Foundation, that she refers to as a “summer camp for rats,” to simulate the experience of growing up in social isolation.

In her results, Koh found that when rats that had experienced seizures were separated from others, they became anxious and uninterested in exploring their surroundings. But when rats were placed in a stimulating or “enriched” environment that included interaction with other animals, their behavior was normal.

Using microarray technology, Koh discovered that in the environmentally enriched group the expression of genes that are important for learning and memory increased. Conversely, she found that inflammation-related genes that were highly up-regulated by seizures — those which showed an increase in gene expression — were down-regulated in rats in an enriched environment.

Strikingly, Koh’s gene expression analyses showed that the negative effects of a prolonged seizure could be reversed by exposure to an environment rich in opportunities for stimulation and social interaction.

The implications of Koh’s findings translate directly to care for children with epilepsy. She says an enriched environment that includes strong family support, social interaction, regular school attendance and access to physical, occupational and speech therapy can help a child recover from the impact of seizures and even reverse their damaging effects.

"Now we have scientific evidence that environment interacts profoundly to reverse the detrimental effects of seizures," says Dr. Koh.

“Children’s brains have an innate ability to recover from injury and the healing power of each child can be enhanced by a supportive environment,” says Koh, who is also studying the development of anti-inflammatory therapies to prevent epilepsy. “As caregivers, we see this every day in our patients, but now we have scientific evidence that environment interacts profoundly to reverse the detrimental effects of seizures. It is important for families and caregivers to apply this new understanding to make sure that children with epilepsy are engaged in stimulating activities and are encouraged to pursue interests.”

This article first appeared in the Spring 2009 issue of Heroes magazine. For a dose of inspiration sent right to your inbox, sign up to receive our Heroes Update. Or read important facts about us.