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.
Cleveland Clinic has launched an innovative study exploring the link between epilepsy and stress, supported by a $5.5 million donation from the Charles L. Shor Foundation. The five-year clinical trial is the first of its kind to study and compare the effect of lifestyle interventions, such as yoga, music therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, on seizure control.
The research team will study the impact on seizure frequency as well as epilepsy-associated co-morbidities, such as depression, anxiety, cognitive function and quality of life. The team will follow 1,000 patients with difficult-to-treat epilepsy.
UNLV-led research team identifies key brain protein to target for new customized drug therapies treating adverse symptoms of developmental disorder subtypes.
At least 1 in 4 people with epilepsy will experience anxiety, which can interfere with seizure control and impact quality of life. Epilepsy care providers are uniquely positioned to screen patients for anxiety and discuss treatment options.
University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers developed a technique in laboratory animals to consistently and reproducibly open the blood-brain barrier. Their paper essentially provides a roadmap for other researchers to develop and test new therapies for brain diseases.
Aleina and Kelly Milligan are more than sisters - they are truly best friends. For Kelly, her older sister has been a lifeline during the past two years. As Kelly settled in with her sister in Columbia, Kentucky, Aleina became concerned when she noticed a change in Kelly’s seizure patterns. The sisters then made the trip to Lexington for an appointment with UK HealthCare’s Sally Mathias, M.D., assistant professor of Neurology, who specializes in epilepsy.
Pilot project aims to reduce the need for two hospitalizations for patients in select clinical scenarios. The Division of Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine and the Division of Neurology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles recently began piloting a new procedure that combines an overnight polysomnogram (PSG) sleep study with a full 16-channel electroencephalogram (EEG).
CLEVELAND: Cleveland Clinic has launched a landmark study to better understand why millions of people around the world suffer from brain diseases, with the goal of pinpointing disease biomarkers early, well before clinical symptoms present themselves.
The new Cleveland Clinic Brain Study – the largest clinical study ever for brain disease – will collect data from up to 200,000 neurologically healthy individuals over a 20-year period to identify brain disease biomarkers and targets for preventing and curing neurological disorders.
Since his 2016 epilepsy diagnosis, Bright M. Bwalya has shared information about epilepsy through radio and TV interviews, education sessions, and a mobile app. He works to correct misinformation and to remind people that "you are not your epilepsy."
Clinical psychologist Aaron Fobian, Ph.D., has developed a therapy for this debilitating condition that she is now testing in a major NIH-sponsored clinical trial.
Biomedical sciences researchers at Iowa State University are testing two therapies to gauge their ability to prevent long-term brain damage that results from exposure to nerve agents. The scientists recently received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to test the treatments, which may also have applications for treating severe seizures and head trauma.
Deciding which medication to prescribe for a new epilepsy diagnosis is an issue without much guidance. The second Standard And New Anti-epileptic Drugs study (SANAD II) compared medications for both focal and generalized epilepsies.
Damage to a part of the brain that regulates hyperactivity can contribute to both memory problems and seizures in the most common form of epilepsy, according to research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The study, published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, may lead to earlier diagnosis of epilepsy and possibly new ways to treat epilepsy and other disorders that share symptoms, like Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury and autism spectrum disorder.
In 2018, Zambia had 17 million people and four neurologists. The country's first post-graduate neurology training program is changing the entire country's perceptions of what epilepsy is and how to treat it - one day at a time.
Un nuevo estudio por investigadores de Mayo Clinic descubrió que en los pacientes que durante 6 a 12 meses llevaron puestos unos dispositivos especiales para control, parecidos a relojes de pulsera, fue posible identificar ciertos patrones y aquello dio alrededor de 30 minutos de advertencia antes de que se produjera la convulsión.
Um novo estudo na Scientific Reports conduzido por pesquisadores da Mayo Clinic encontraram padrões que poderiam ser identificados em pacientes que utilizam um dispositivo de monitoramento de relógio de pulso especial por 6 a 12 meses, permitindo um aviso de cerca de 30 minutos antes de acontecer uma convulsão.
وقد وجدت دراسة جديدة، منشورة في مجلة التقارير الطبية أجراها باحثو مايو كلينك وشركاؤهم الدوليون، أنماطًا يمكن التعرف عليها لدى المرضى الذين قاموا بارتداء جهاز مراقبة خاص على شكل ساعة يد لمدة ستة إلى 12 شهرًا، حيث يتيح 30 دقيقة تقريبًا من التحذير قبل حدوث النوبة.
Epilepsy, affecting some 3.5 million children and adults in the U.S., is a brain disorder characterized by recurring seizures. With a combination of the right medical care and a healthy lifestyle, most patients can effectively manage their epilepsy and enjoy a high quality of life.
In an effort to address physician burnout, researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) have developed an informatics platform that helps doctors better streamline and manage the care of patients with epilepsy.
Despite medications, surgery and neurostimulation devices, many people with epilepsy continue to have seizures. The unpredictable nature of seizures is severely limiting. If seizures could be reliably forecast, people with epilepsy could alter their activities, take a fast-acting medication or turn up their neurostimulator to prevent a seizure or minimize its effects.
A new study in Scientific Reports by Mayo Clinic researchers and international collaborators found patterns could be identified in patients who wear a special wristwatch monitoring device for six to 12 months, allowing about 30 minutes of warning before a seizure occurred. This worked well most of the time for five of six patients studied.
Epilepsy surgery in infants younger than 3 months is safe and effective, according to a multinational, multicenter study published in the journal Epilepsia. The study found that surgery can stop seizures and lessen the need for medications in babies with drug resistant epilepsy and epileptic encephalopathy.
In a pilot human study, researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital show it is possible to improve specific human brain functions related to self-control and mental flexibility by merging artificial intelligence with targeted electrical brain stimulation.
Combining electroencephalogram (EEG) data with clinical observations can help doctors to better determine whether generalized epilepsy patients will respond to treatment, according to a study led by Rutgers researchers. The study, which was published this week in Epilepsia, the Official Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy, uses a new statistical model that is 80 percent accurate in distinguishing between drug-resistant and drug-responsive generalized epilepsy.
Scientists publish encouraging early tests of a gene therapy strategy against Angelman syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder that features poor muscle control and balance, hard-to-treat epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities.
NYU Langone’s Parekh Center for Interdisciplinary Neurology will accelerate research of neurodegenerative conditions across the institution thanks to a significant philanthropic gift.
The International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) is an epilepsy advocacy organization with nearly 140 chapters in more than 100 countries. ILAE talked with two of its presidents—Martin Brodie (2017-2021) and Francesca Sofia (2021-2025)—about their paths to the presidency and their hopes and plans for the future.