Feature Channels: Epilepsy

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Children born to women taking certain medications for epilepsy during pregnancy have no developmental delays at age three when compared to children of healthy women without epilepsy, according to a preliminary study released today, March 4, 2021, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 73rd Annual Meeting being held virtually April 17 to 22, 2021. Most of the women with epilepsy in the study took either lamotrigine or levetiracetam during their pregnancy, or a combination of the two.

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A recent paper in Neurology Clinical Practice offers practical considerations for using the ketogenic diet in patients with seizures that last more than 24 hours, a condition known as super-refractory status epilepticus. ILAE spoke with two of the authors – dietitian Neha Kaul and epileptologist Joshua Laing.

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Un artículo reciente en “Neurology Clinical Practice” ofrece consideraciones prácticas para el empleo de la dieta cetogénica en pacientes con estatus epiléptico superrefractario. La ILAE habló con dos de los autores del artículo. (Podcast en ingles; transcripcion en español.)

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La dieta cetogénica está emergiendo como una opción de tratamiento potencial para todas las etapas del estado epiléptico (SE), incluido el estado epiléptico refractario y superrefractario.

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The ketogenic diet is emerging as a potential treatment option for all stages of status epilepticus, a condition in which seizures persist for more than several minutes.

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Epileptic activity originating from one or more diseased brain regions in the temporal lobe is difficult to contain.

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No matter where you are in the world, the 2021 AAN Annual Meeting is one click away. Journalists can now register to attend the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) being held virtually April 17-22, 2021. The AAN Annual Meeting is the world’s largest gathering of neurologists who come together to share the latest advances in neurologic research.

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Samer Hamdar, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the George Washington University, is partnering with Moment AI to launch a project aimed at developing AI systems that could one day prevent health-induced traffic accidents, including those linked to stress.

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Tras la reciente advertencia de seguridad emitida por la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de los Estados Unidos sobre la lamotrigina, un grupo de trabajo ad hoc ha elaborado un documento de revisión acerca de cómo minimizar los riesgos de seguridad.

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Following a recent safety warning issued by the US Food and Drug Administration on lamotrigine, a joint task force of the ILAE and American Epilepsy Society published an advisory for health care professionals that discusses how to minimize cardiac-related safety risks in patients taking lamotrigine.

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In much of Africa, epilepsy is believed to be caused by evil spirits or curses. Kenyan Fredrick Beuchi is trying to spread the word that epilepsy is a medical condition that can be treated. His latest project to raise awareness: Climb Africa's highest mountain.

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When doctors couldn't pinpoint the location of Giorgia's seizures, they doubled down, using innovative tools to target and treat her epilepsy.

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A recent one-year study found a 35% decrease in seizure frequency in people with epilepsy who listened to an excerpt of Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos. Research in animal models also suggests that music has multiple effects on the brain.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.

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More than 75 countries now have at least one ketogenic diet center for the treatment of epilepsy, but most centers are located in high-resource countries. How can lower-income countries establish the ketogenic diet, and what considerations are they facing?

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Treating epilepsy with diet is not a new concept, but it's gained popularity and credibility in the past 25 years.

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Women with epilepsy who take the antiseizure drug valproic acid while pregnant are at more than double the risk of having children with autism spectrum disorder and nearly double the risk of having children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study in the October 28, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Having subtler symptoms, a form of epilepsy that affects only one part of the brain often goes undiagnosed long enough to cause unexpected seizures that contribute to car crashes, a new study finds.

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Epilepsy surgery in children with refractory epilepsy, who have poor seizure control with medications, results in better outcomes, according to a study published in the journal Neurosurgery.

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A team of researchers from the Florida State University College of Medicine has found that an amino acid produced by the brain could play a crucial role in preventing a type of epileptic seizure.

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A new study shows that a protein — called DUSP4 — was increased in healthy brain tissue directly adjacent to epileptic tissue. The research suggests that boosting levels of DUSP4 could be a novel way of preventing or treating epilepsy.

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People with generalized epilepsy who have seizures arising from both sides of the brain simultaneously, have a higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared to patients who have focal epilepsy where seizures emanate from one area of the brain, according to a Rutgers study.

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This rare but life-threatening condition is often due to an autoimmune response. Speedier diagnosis and more effective treatments are priorities.

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DALLAS – Aug. 31, 2020 – Three anticonvulsant drugs commonly used to stop prolonged, potentially deadly seizures each work equally well, according to a national study led by physicians at UT Southwestern. The results provide reassurance to patients who may have drug allergies and to physicians and hospitals that may not have supplies of all three.

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New research in mice highlights the potential protective effect of microglia—a type of non-neuronal cell in the brain—against overactivation of the central nervous system during acute epileptic seizures. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology.

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Molecules known as tRNAs are often overlooked in studies of disease processes. Researchers have now found that a mutation in a tRNA gene called n-Tr20—expressed only in the brain—can disrupt the landscape of entire cells, leading to chain reactions that alter brain function and behavior.

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A team of researchers have combined clinical information with large-scale genomic data to successfully link characteristic presentations of childhood epilepsies with specific genetic variants.

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More frequent seizures during the menstrual cycle in women with genetic generalized epilepsy have been linked for the first time to drug-resistant epilepsy, when anti-seizure medications don’t work, according to a Rutgers coauthored study that may help lead to tailored treatments. Women with a form of genetic generalized epilepsy called catamenial epilepsy – when seizure frequency increases during their menstrual cycle – were nearly four times more likely to have drug-resistant epilepsy than women who experience no changes in frequency, according to the study in the journal Neurology. This association was found in two independent samples.

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The ILAE/IBE congresses attract clinicians, researchers, policymakers and advocates from around the world to hear about the latest research and treatment advances in epilepsy.

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The newly licensed compounds, developed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, act on a particular neurotransmitter receptor in the brain, which has shown promise for treatment of epilepsy and other convulsant disorders.

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Telemedicine for epilepsy care is more popular than ever. It has many advantages—but can it sustain itself into the future?

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A team of researchers further bridged the gap between genomic information and clinical outcome data by systematically linking genetic information with electronic medical records, focusing on how genetic neurological disorders in children develop over time.

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It's been said that after two failed anti-seizure medications, chances for seizure freedom drop to less than 5%. This error arose nearly two decades ago and needs to be corrected, says a letter in the journal Epilepsia - chances are actually much higher.

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A compound commonly found in pickled capers has been shown to activate proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity, and may even lead to future therapies for the treatment of epilepsy and abnormal heart rhythms.

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More than 50 million people have epilepsy; about 80% live in lower- or middle-income countries, where diagnosis and treatment can be difficult or impossible. The percentage of people with epilepsy that is not receiving treatment is known as the treatment gap; in some countries, this gap exceeds 90%.

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How was epilepsy research forced to morph during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic? Researchers from 11 countries shared their experiences and thoughts on the future of laboratory research, clinical trials, and in-person conferences.

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Journal Prize winner Zhong Ying integrated genetics, clinical presentation, EEG, MRI, and histopathological diagnosis in a group of people with drug-resistant epilepsy. All had a specific type of brain lesion that can be difficult to identify.

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Journal Prize winner Ana Coito is developing methods to extract information from EEG readings about brain connectivity and information exchange. Her award-winning research focused on applying these methods to low-density EEG readings, which would make them accessible to more regions of the world.

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Journal Prize winner Jesse A. Pfammatter found that certain EEG patterns that indicate absence epilepsy may hold more information than previously thought.

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Journal prize winner Benjamin Tolchin tested motivational interviewing to help people with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) start and continue psychotherapy. Often mistaken for epilepsy, these seizures cause serious problems, yet many health care professionals discount them as "not real."

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Lyndsey Anderson traveled halfway around the world to do epilepsy research in Sydney, Australia. Recently, she was awarded ILAE's 2020 Epilepsia Prize for Basic Science Research.

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Understanding the source and network of signals as the brain functions is a central goal of brain research. Now, Carnegie Mellon engineers have created a system for high-density EEG imaging of the origin and path of normal and abnormal brain signals.

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When seizures last longer than about 5 minutes--a condition called status epilepticus--emergency treatment is required. About two-thirds of people respond to initial treatment with benzodiazepines, but the others need a second drug. Which drug to choose is a matter of some debate.

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Transforming how common health conditions are diagnosed using point-of-care and wearable bio diagnostic devices is the goal of a new $2.2 million University of South Australia project.

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A blood test may help predict which people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will get worse during the following year, according to a study published in the May 20, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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University of Utah biomedical engineering assistant professor Jan Kubanek has discovered that sound waves of high frequency (ultrasound) can be emitted into a patient’s brain to alter his or her state. It’s a non-invasive treatment that doesn’t involve medications or surgery and has a unique potential to treat mental disorders including depression and anxiety and neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.

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Using night-vision goggle technology, near-infrared light, and high-resolution detectors, a wearable imaging device for awake infants with brain disorders was developed by a team of scientists and a pediatric neurosurgeon at UTHealth. Cap-based Transcranial Optical Tomography (CTOT), which utilizes a cap for the baby’s head, is the first high-resolution, whole-brain functional imaging device that does not require the baby to be put under anesthesia.