An interesting paper.  They weren't "targeting iron" though.  They also
weren't using "iron binders".  They were using iron to invoke seizures and
looking at the effects of two antioxidants on the assumption that iron is
inducing the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are somehow
causing seizures.  So they were actually targeting ROS. I think the
important thing about this paper is not the iron seizure model but that ROS
may be involved in triggering seizures after head injury.  There may be many
other components of blood which can induce ROS formation directly or
indirectly.  It would have been neat if they could have removed iron from
blood and injected that into the cortex to see if blood without iron can
induce seizures.  Actually, does injecting normal blood induce seizures?
Have the authors done that?

Interestingly, antioxidants have been shown to decrease seizures in seizure
models where chemicals are injected on the cortex (which might increase ROS
formation) but not in other seizure models (in which ROS may not be
involved).  It seems they've been used clinically as adjunct therapy in some
cases for more than a decade.  They might also be reducing the effects of
excitotoxic injury to cells and therefore be neuroprotective...reducing the
long-term effects of the injury.

Another interesting thing about the paper to me is that the seizures they
saw in the model were non-convulsive....even though they injected the iron
salt in a motor area. (strange)  It suggests that after traumatic brain
injury seizures might be mis-diagnosed and anticonvulsants might not be
given.  I don't know if anticonvulsants are routinely given after brain
injury whether seizures are seen or not, but maybe they should be
considering a kindling effect might be occurring which can develop into
epilepsy.

Here's a paper you might be interested in...

Can J Neurol Sci.  1992 May;19(2):201-3.
The anticonvulsant effects of vitamin E: a further evaluation.
Levy SL, Burnham WM, Bishai A, Hwang PA.
Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.