The new data from Jeff Noebels' lab convincingly show that tau reduction decreases seizures in Kcna1 knockout mice and bang-sensitive flies, which undergo a type of paralysis/seizure when shaken. We and others have previously shown that reducing tau or expressing a truncated form of tau reduces seizure susceptibility, both in the absence and presence of Aβ. In their study, Holth and colleagues find (as we did) a dosage effect for tau, underscoring the validity of a therapeutic approach aimed at reducing tau levels in order to suppress network hyperexcitability. The majority of the published studies report no neurological defects in mice lacking tau, and as the authors of this nice study conclude, there are potential "therapeutic benefits of decreasing tau at an early stage of epileptogenesis."

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