NEWS
New surgery treats epilepsy with deep-brain stimulation
Beginning Monday, patients with epilepsy will have a new option to reduce the number and severity of life-limiting seizures, avoiding radical surgery that removes a part of the brain. Called deep-brain stimulation, the treatment uses electrodes implanted in the...
Early detection of epilepsy in children possible with deep learning computer science technique
Early detection of the most common form of epilepsy in children is possible through "deep learning," a new machine learning tool that teaches computers to learn by example, according to a new study that includes researchers from Georgia State University. Benign...
Everything You Need to Know About Seizure Response Dogs
Service dogs are incredible animals that give people the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest. Without them, countless people would not be able to perform daily tasks or experience what many take for granted. Some of these dogs, called “seizure response...
Epilepsy & The Social Stigma
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain characterized by recurring seizures, which are brief episodes of...
Pediatric epilepsy may be misdiagnosed as GI disease
More than 2% of children with West syndrome, temporal lobe epilepsy, or Panayiotopoulos syndrome initially were misdiagnosed with gastrointestinal disorders, according to the results of a large single-center retrospective study.
What does autism look like in the brain?
People on the autism spectrum often dislike exposure to unexpected stimuli, but why is that? New research takes a look at what happens in the brain, and how that relates to a person's ability to tolerate exposure to various stimuli. What happens in the...
Parents, researchers work to find cause of neonatal epilepsy
A shared goal to raise awareness and develop better treatments for neonatal-onset epilepsy has brought Baylor College of Medicine researchers together with three U.S. families: Jim and Tina Thompson of Iowa, Carla and Bryan Forbes from Massachusetts, and Jim Johnson...
Scientists solve century-old neuroscience mystery—answers may lead to epilepsy treatment
Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have solved a 125-year-old mystery of the brain, and, in the process, uncovered a potential treatment for acquired epilepsy. Since 1893, scientists have known about enigmatic structures called perineuronal...
Resective Epilepsy Surgery Reduces Seizures, Improves Social Functioning in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
Resective epilepsy surgery is a viable option to help improve both seizure control and adaptive functioning in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, according to an article published in Pediatrics. To evaluate the long-term outcomes for patients with Lennox-Gastaut...
The Role Of Autoantibodies In Epilepsy
The immune system normally protects a person from infections by making specialised agents called antibodies which normally recognise “foreign targets” and destroy them. Doctors utilise this function through vaccinations, which are used for immunization. Sometimes, the...
Spontaneous Fetal Loss Risk Doubled for Women with Epilepsy
Unplanned pregnancy in women who have epilepsy may double the risk for spontaneous fetal loss, according to a new study. Investigators from the Harvard Neuroendocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, examined the Epilepsy Birth Control...
Neuroene Therapeutics awarded $1.5 million to develop anti-seizure compound for epilepsy
With funding from NIH Phase II SBIR grant, Neuroene Therapeutics will take the next steps toward bringing their vitamin K analogues for drug-resistant epilepsy to clinical trial Neuroene Therapeutics, a start-up company founded by mitochondrial biologist Sherine S. L....
Epilepsy Warning Sensor Aims to Save Lives
A new high-tech bracelet, developed by scientists from the Netherlands, detects 85 percent of all severe nighttime epilepsy seizures. That is a much better score than any other technology currently available. The researchers involved think that this bracelet can...
MUSIC MAY HELP AGAINST EPILEPSY
According to scientists from Ohio state University (USA), the brains of people with epilepsy in a special way responds to music compared to people without this disease. Researchers believe that the music for patients with epilepsy can be used as a method of therapy...
How does stress affect the brain?
Regular exposure to stress can impact our physical and mental health, but how does it actually affect our brains? One new Harvard Medical School study answers that question. According to new research, high levels of stress hormones can impact how well the brain...
Scientists uncover how rare gene mutation affects brain development and memory
Researchers from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, have found that a rare gene mutation alters brain development in mice, impairing memory and disrupting the communication between nerve cells. They also show memory problems could be improved by...
New causative gene found in severe childhood epilepsy
A large international research team has discovered a new genetic cause for a severe, difficult-to-treat childhood epilepsy syndrome. Spontaneous mutations in one gene disrupt the flow of calcium in brain cells, resulting in epileptic overactivity. The team's research...
Childhood Seizures After Phototherapy
A follow-up study of Danish babies with neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia* who had been treated with phototherapy discovered a modest increase in the risk of childhood epilepsy. The finding has now been replicated in a large database analysis from the United States....
Just the right dose: antiepileptic drug clearance changes during pregnancy
Study finds significant changes in how seizure medications are metabolized during the different trimesters of pregnancy BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL During pregnancy, the numerous physiological changes a woman's body undergoes can alter the way medications are...
Nocturnal Monitoring May Reduce SUDEP in Severe Epilepsy
Monitoring patients with severe epilepsy in residential care facilities during the night was associated with a much lower rate of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP), a new study found. "Our study was conducted in patients with severe epilepsy and learning...