We talk with a third-year medical student, a neurology researcher, an avid rock climber, and a young man with epilepsy who had a responsive neurostimulator (RNS) implanted last year. The catch: They’re all the same person.
Children spend a lot of time in school, and that includes children with epilepsy. But most teachers don’t receive training in what epilepsy is, what seizures look like, or what to do if a student has a seizure.
Schools can be important for epilepsy screening, as well as awareness of seizure first aid and basic knowledge. In a rural area of Punjab, a three-year project of surveys and training activities aimed to increase knowledge and dispel myths and misconceptions.
En Ontario, Canadá, un grupo de psicólogos y miembros de una agencia comunitaria de apoyo a la epilepsia habían discutido durante mucho tiempo la necesidad de educación sobre la epilepsia para los maestros de escuela.
The cost of brand-name drugs for epilepsy increased by 277% from 2010 to 2018, according to a study published in the June 15, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The cost of generic drugs for epilepsy decreased by 42% over the same period.
Researchers from the UPF Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC) propose a new method to differentiate signals from the epileptic focus from those recorded in other parts of the brain without the presence of an epileptic seizure.
Though children spend many hours in school, their teachers often don't have knowledge about epilepsy. Many are afraid of having students with epilepsy in their classes, which can be a barrier to both effective learning and student inclusion.
Genetic testing results in lower length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for infants with epilepsy, according to a study published in the journal Pediatric Neurology. The reduction in hospital stay time in babies with epilepsy who spent time in the NICU was not explained by changes in the severity of illness, birth weight or population changes in the NICU over time. These findings confirm the importance of early genetic testing for epilepsy, which allows more precise treatment and better seizure control during a critical time in brain development.
Though she became involved in epilepsy epigenetics research “by accident,” Katja Kobow is already one of the leading researchers in the field, and the most recent recipient of the prestigious Michael Prize. Sharp Waves talked with her about the prize and her research.
On 27 May 2022, World Health Organization Member States unanimously approved the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders (IGAP) at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
People with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) develop tumors on nerves throughout their bodies. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that nerve cells with the mutation that causes NF1 are hyperexcitable and that suppressing this hyperactivity with the epilepsy drug lamotrigine stops tumor growth in mice.
Can women with epilepsy get pregnant, give birth to healthy babies, and breastfeed? What are the myths and misconceptions, and what do physicians and women need to know? Dr. Anca Arbune interviews Dr. Page Pennell about the latest research and knowledge.
The World Health Organization's 75th World Health Assembly convenes May 22, with implications for epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Join us for a webinar discussing the member states' vote on the Intersectoral Global Action Plan.
Fresh techniques to aid seizure diagnosis and surgical planning stand to benefit millions of epilepsy patients, but the path to progress has been slow and challenging.
Approximately 1 in 50 people who suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) will develop post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE)—with the risk of PTE significantly higher in people with severe TBI. PTE is characterized by recurring seizures that begin a week or more after the brain injury, and there is currently no way to identify those at risk for developing PTE or to prevent its onset.
Low-resource areas face multiple challenges to diagnosing and treating long-lasting seizures, or status epilepticus. We talked with neurologists in four countries about how status epilepticus is managed in their areas.
A new study suggests that antidepressant use by mothers during the first trimester of pregnancy does not increase the chances of epilepsy and seizures in babies. The research is published in the May 11, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
La brecha de tratamiento de la epilepsia en El Salvador es de 60% a 70%. Junto con la concientización sobre la epilepsia y las necesidades educativas, los recursos son una barrera importante para la atención óptima de las personas con epilepsia.
Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine have discovered a previously unknown function performed by a type of cell that comprises nearly half of all cells in the brain.
The scientists say this discovery in mice of a new function by cells known as astrocytes opens a whole new direction for neuroscience research that might one day lead to treatments for many disorders ranging from epilepsy to Alzheimer’s to traumatic brain injury.
Since the war began in late February, Ukraine neurologists have been committed to helping citizens with epilepsy, many of whom have lost access to medications and regular care.
He set out to research the effect of polar day-night patterns on seizure frequency and epilepsy. He found something he never expected: a public health crisis in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, relevant to geographically isolated communities and Indigenous peoples.
New study demonstrates that in utero exposure to mother’s antiepileptic or antidepressant medication may affect development of the newborn brain networks.
Scientists at Trinity College Dublin have announced a significant advance in our understanding of epilepsy, as they have identified a potential method of preventing damaging seizure activity.
“We don’t have a lot of the basics that other countries have in terms of health infrastructure, or even our own epilepsy statistics. We are trying to build something from scratch.” - epileptologist Ovidio Solano Cabrera
Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital will be the first children’s hospital in Manhattan to use a new, state-of-the art seizure monitoring device that facilitates rapid, point-of-care detection and diagnosis of non-convulsive seizure activity in critically ill children to ensure they receive optimal treatment as quickly as possible.
A new study suggests that people with epilepsy associated with head injuries, especially the type not well controlled by medication, are more likely to have other health conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), back pain and headache that may result in them reporting a lower quality of life. The research is published in the April 6, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Other conditions included chronic conditions like high blood pressure, sleep disorders, and behavioral health conditions like anxiety.
Cedars-Sinai neurology experts are available to discuss the latest advances in research and clinical care for patients with disorders of the nervous system ahead of the 74th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), happening April 2-7.
Researchers have found that dysfunction in an important cell subtype in the brain’s neuronal network contribute to chronic symptoms in the neurodevelopmental disorder Dravet syndrome.
Los estudios estiman que al menos un 25% de las personas con epilepsia padece algún trastorno de ansiedad, sin embargo, la ansiedad esta subdiagnosticada e insuficientemente tratada. Comúnmente se presta más atención a la depresión, posiblemente debido al riesgo de suicidio.
A new study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago published in the journal Epilepsia examined a population of pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. For these patients, the study found that the patients who received vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), when used with anti-seizure medications (ASM), had lower hospital costs compared to the use of ASM alone. The study found that the patients treated with ASM plus VNS had savings of over $3,000 of epilepsy-related annual costs per year, compared to treatment with ASM only.
Anti-seizure medications are not a cure, and about 30% of people with epilepsy don't respond to them. How are new medications discovered, and what's on the horizon?
A team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a device that is a first step to enabling noninvasive, ultrasound-based therapies for the brain. For example, ultrasound waves are currently being used in clinical trials to treat epilepsy.
A new study from an international team of researchers — including two from Binghamton University — demonstrates that social media could be used to detect behaviors preceding sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), the leading cause of death in people with uncontrolled epileptic seizures.
Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) is the newest of three types of neuromodulation for epilepsy. Targeted electrical pulses inhibit a network in the brain involved in starting and spreading seizures. This interference is linked with a reduction in the number and/or severity of seizures.
The 147th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (taking place in-person October 22–25, 2022 in Chicago) will explore new frontiers in neurology, including climate change and the brain, lab-grown brain structures for studying disease, and addressing disparities in neurologic care.
About 250,000 people in Ukraine have epilepsy, which requires daily medication. But supplies of anti-seizure medications are running low in Ukraine, and nearly 2 million people have fled into neighboring countries, with more likely to follow over the coming weeks.
A new study of brain development in mice shortly after birth may provide insights into how early life events can affect wiring patterns in the brain that manifest as disease later in life – specifically such disorders as schizophrenia, epilepsy and autism.
The brain is front and center during March, and experts from the Cedars-Sinai departments of Neurology & Neurosurgery are available for interviews about the latest research and treatments for neurological diseases and conditions, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and traumatic brain injuries.
Responsive neurostimulation is the latest advance offering hope for children with treatment-resistant epilepsy. For more than a third of children with epilepsy, medications are not enough to control their seizures. Surgery can be an excellent option for many of these treatment-resistant patients, but not every child is a good candidate.