How an Epilepsy Drug Causes Weight Loss

2025-10-06

Scientists from Université Laval and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered how topiramate — a molecule originally approved to treat epilepsy — also leads to weight loss.

Their study, recently published in the journal Obesity, shows that topiramate acts on the brain in a way that differs from the mechanisms behind the appetite-suppressing drugs found in Ozempic and Wegovy.

This work, conducted by Moein Minbashi Moeini, Olivier Lavoie, Alexandre Caron, and Natalie Jane Michael of Université Laval, along with Kevin Williams of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, helps explain how a medication designed for seizures can unexpectedly influence appetite and metabolism.

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Recent News

Promising blood biomarkers for much earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease

2026-02-10

The level of these molecules in the blood is linked to cognitive decline in people who have not yet received a diagnosis.

Once the diagnosis is made, it is too late to reverse Alzheimer’s disease. That is why identifying the earliest signs of cognitive decline is crucial. A team from Université Laval examined blood-based biomarkers and identified two promising molecules, according to a study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Exploring the metabolic pathway

The scientists studied molecules associated with metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension, which are linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. “We wanted to see how these metabolic biomarkers behaved in relation to cognitive changes,” explains Frédéric Calon, explains professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and researcher at the Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval, who led the study

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The protein DKK1: a new target for reducing stroke severity

2026-01-27

A research team has revealed how this protein worsens the damage caused by a stroke—a discovery that could improve brain recovery.

High levels of the protein DKK1 (Dickkopf-1) in the bloodstream of people who have suffered a stroke are associated with a poor short- and long-term prognosis. A team from Université Laval has uncovered the protein’s mechanism of action and its role in stroke severity. The study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, thus opens the door to new therapeutic approaches.

The protein DKK1 blocks specialized brain mechanisms that help regulate vascular stability and inflammation. “It really sits at the intersection of inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and brain function, which is why we were interested in studying it,” explains Ayman ElAli, professor in the Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Centre, who led the study

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Exercise and a supportive environment may strengthen the integrity of the brain’s protective barrier

2026-01-23

A study reveals how physical activity and a favorable living environment stimulate the production of a protein essential to vascular health, reducing the harmful effects of stress and preventing depression.

A research team at Université Laval may have identified why physical exercise and living under favorable socioeconomic conditions reduce the risk of depression. In laboratory animals exposed to chronic social stress—one of the main causes of depression—physical activity and an enriched environment helped maintain the integrity of the blood–brain barrier in brain regions associated with mood and emotional regulation. The findings, recently published in Nature Communications, highlight the key role played by a brain protein, Fgf2, in this protective mechanism and its potential as a biomarker for mood disorders.

“The blood–brain barrier has multiple lines of defense made up of different types of cells that are not tightly joined together. What seals the gaps between the cells in the first line is the protein claudin-5. Without it, the barrier loses its impermeability,” explains the study’s lead author, Caroline Ménard, rofessor at the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and researcher at the CERVO Research Centre.

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Towards new treatments for autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis

2026-01-13

A research team has developed a new drug that blocks antibodies involved in a disease related to multiple sclerosis.

A study published today in the journal PNAS demonstrates that it may be possible to slow the progression of certain autoimmune diseases using drugs that interfere with the antibodies responsible for these conditions. In mice affected by an autoimmune neurological disease, such a drug reduced symptom severity and restored some functions, including mobility.

“This proof of concept paves the way for a new range of treatments for autoimmune diseases,” says the study’s lead investigator, Luc Vallières , Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and researcher at the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Centre.

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A method to better measure the impacts of hyperacusis

2025-11-25

A team has developed a protocol to more objectively assess the functional consequences of intolerance to loud sounds.

Intolerance to loud sounds — hyperacusis — has a subjective nature that complicates both diagnosis and research on this auditory disorder. Indeed, clinicians must rely on self-assessments from affected individuals to determine how much the condition interferes with their daily activities. However, an experimental protocol developed by researchers at Université Laval could help reduce some of this subjectivity, suggests an article recently published in the scientific journal Hearing Research.

Hyperacusis is believed to affect between 4% and 17% of the adult population. “It is increasingly recognized as an auditory disorder, even though there is no scientific consensus regarding its definition,” notes the study’s lead author, Philippe Fournier, professor at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Rehabilitation and Social Integration at Université Laval.

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