Keto Diet: Protien, Fat, and Oxygen?
Researcher
Dhyey Bhatt
Principal Investigator
Dr. Cam Teskey
Institution
University of Calgary
Grant Type
Undergraduate
Disorder
Epilepsy
About the researcher
Dhyey Bhatt
Undergraduate Student at the University of Calgary
The impact
When the brain has a seizure, the risk to our brain lasts longer than the actual seizure itself. This project is looking at the oxygen flow to the brain following a seizure, which often drops below optimal levels and could contribute to more permanent damage to an otherwise short-lived event. If we had a way to ensure the brain had enough oxygen, this reduces the impact epilepsy has on long-term quality of life.
The study
For decades, Doctors have used the Ketogenic Diet as a way to treat pediatric epilepsy. Unfortunately, we have a very limited understanding of why this nutraceutical approach works, which is crucial for using it more effectively and maximizing the benefits it could bring to epilepsy patients. Dhyey’s project is exploring if oxygen levels following a seizure are part of the mysterious way in which the Ketogenic Diet works. If this is the case, it could lead to both more widespread use of the Ketogenic Diet and a refinement of the diet to focus on its key ingredients to make it a more effective and tolerable treatment.
What's next?
Dhyey is applying to med school to adapt his experience working on NeuroCAM research directly to the clinic to benefit patients lives
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Publications
Bhatt, Dhyey & Hazari, Ali & Yamakawa, Glenn & Salberg, Sabrina & Sgro, Marissa & Shultz, Sandy & Mychasiuk, Richelle. (2020). Investigating the cumulative effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and repetitive mild traumatic brain injury on adolescent rats. Brain Communications. 2. 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa042.
