A new study suggests that temporal lobe epilepsy may be related to the premature ageing of certain brain cells. Researchers removed these aging cells in mice with epilepsy. After removal, the number of epileptic seizures decreased. Memory improved in the mice. Some animals avoided epilepsy altogether. The treatment used drugs that science already knows. This raises the possibility of using them more quickly in humans. The results offer new hope for patients unresponsive to existing drugs.