A group of undergraduates led by Kaitlin Hardy is using "bang sensitive" mutant fruit flies to investigate the use of drugs designed to treat human epilepsy.
When these flies are given a mechanical shock they undergo seizures that are remarkably similar to human epileptic seizures. At least one of the drugs designed to treat human epilepsy protects the flies from this effect, suggesting that these mutant fruit flies may be a useful model for exploring other treatments.
Hardy is part of the FACES (Facts, Advocacy, and Control of Epileptic Seizures) research lab.