Certain patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) may be good candidates for curative epilepsy surgery, emerging research suggests. A new case series shows that two thirds of patients with LGS were seizure-free or markedly improved following resective surgery. “Most patients with LGS are not candidates for curative surgery, but there is a small subset, especially the […]
Using an innovative technique combining genetic analysis and mathematical modeling with some basic sleuthing, researchers have identified previously undescribed microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients. The millimeter-sized abnormalities may explain why areas of the brain that appear normal can produce severe seizures in many children and adults with epilepsy.
Understanding the connection between the brain and the heart and the possible malfunction of cells and mechanisms in the connection may lead to better understanding and prevention of SUDEP and other cardiac symptoms related to epilepsy. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For children and adults with epilepsy, the possibility of dying suddenly and without warning looms […]
Pioneering new research by the University of Exeter could revolutionize global diagnostic procedures for one of the most common forms of epilepsy. Scientists from Exeter have investigated using mathematical modelling to assess susceptibility to idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE) by analysing electrical activity of the brain while the patient is in a resting state. Current diagnosis […]
Projects build a virtual center for research on death associated with epilepsy Nine groups of scientists will receive funding totaling $5.9 million in 2014 to work together on increasing the understanding of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), the leading cause of death from epilepsy. The consortium becomes the second Center Without Walls, an initiative […]
Optogenetics is one of the hottest tools in biomedical research today, a method that uses gene therapy to deliver light-sensitive proteins into specific cells. This new tool allows researchers to interact with a single cell or a network of cells with exquisite precision. Whereas imaging and other technologies allow researchers to watch the brain in […]
