Levetiracetam silences GABAergic synapses in diffuse midline glioma: longer survival in models and in patient cohorts

A study in Nature Medicine combining experimental models with patient-cohort analyses reports that the antiseizure drug levetiracetam restrains the growth of diffuse midline glioma — a tumour occurring mainly in children — and is associated with longer survival. The effect is subtype-specific: it was not seen in hemispheric high-grade gliomas. Mechanistically, the drug selectively dampens GABAergic neuron-to-glioma synaptic signalling, independently of its canonical SV2A-mediated antiseizure action. This is a rationale for repurposing a widely available, well-tolerated medicine, not evidence from a prospective randomised trial — treatment decisions rest with the treating neuro-oncology centre.