London (PTI): A ray of hope for sufferers of epilepsy or pre-menstrual tension! Scientists claim to have identified the structure of a receptor in the brain implicated in these conditions.

The international researchers have determined the arrangement of the constituent parts of the receptor called GABA which is actually a protein present in the brain. The same receptor is also known to be sensitive to alcohol.

According to them, the GABA receptor is found in small numbers in the body and plays an important role in controlling our state of consciousness.

"This type of GABA receptor plays a crucial role in the body's response to a range of stimuli. Scientists think that when there is a problem in the signalling, conditions such as epilepsy and PMT can occur.

"Now we have identified the detailed structure of the receptor we are in a better position to design drugs that bind to it," lead researcher Dr Mike Edwardson of the Cambridge University said.

In their study, the researchers used rodents and found the amount waxes and wanes in nerves over the menstrual cycle, making it a potential candidate for the cause of PMT, the 'Molecular Pharmacology' journal has reported.

The researchers hope that drugs that could treat pre-menstrual tension and epilepsy in humans are two of the long-term possibilities raised by this discovery.

"It's a long jump between rats and humans, but if we can make it, and a similar thing occurs in humans before menstruation, changes in the level of this receptor could contribute to PMT," the British media quoted Dr Edwardson as saying.

Added Prof Nigel Brown, the Director of Science and Technology at Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council which funded the study: "If we learn the detailed mechanisms by which the body functions, medical scientists and the pharmaceutical industry can develop treatments to intervene when it goes wrong."