NEWS
Researchers discover a new stage of the development cycle of the human brain
Researchers discover mass migration of inhibitory neurons into the brain's frontal cortex after birth Researchers at UC San Francisco have discovered a previously unknown mass migration of inhibitory neurons into the brain's frontal cortex during the first few months...
UAB researchers launch first drug study to prevent onset of epilepsy in children with TSC
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have launched the first drug study aimed at preventing or delaying the onset of epilepsy in children with a genetic condition known as tuberous sclerosis complex. UAB is the lead institution and data center for...
Evidence Mounts That Depression and Epileptic Seizures Are Linked
Researchers have found further proof to support the notion that epilepsy and depression are linked, as a commonly used mouse model of depression also developed seizures. The study, “Olfactory Bulbectomy Leads to the Development of Epilepsy in Mice,”published in the...
Redox biomarker could predict progression of epilepsy
Decreased cysteine/cystine ratio in plasma may serve as a redox biomarker in epilepsy UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS Approximately 2.9 million people in the United States suffer from epilepsy, according to the CDC. For patients living with this...
New approach bolsters protein in blood vessels to protect against cerebral malaria
Boosting a protective protein to stabilize blood vessels weakened by malaria showed improved survival beyond that of antimalarial drugs alone in pre-clinical research. Toronto General Research Institute (TGRI) and the Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University...
The ‘worm’ holds the key to treating epilepsy—new possibilities for rapid drug discovery
Current methods to control epilepsy, which affects 1 in 26 Americans, are not only inefficient but haven't improved in more than 150 years when the first anticonvulsant drug was developed. Treatment options include invasive surgeries and a combination of antiepileptic...
UVA researchers begin first clinical trial using focused ultrasound to treat patients with epilepsy
Researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) are starting the first clinical trial in the world using focused ultrasound to treat patients with epilepsy. The study, supported by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation in collaboration with the Epilepsy Foundation, will...
Scientists track unexpected mechanisms of memory
Do you remember Simone Biles's epic gymnastics floor routine that earned her a fifth Olympic medal? Our brains hold on to memories like these via physical changes in synapses, the tiny connections between neurons. A new study by researchers at Duke University and the...
Researchers propose new explanation for symptoms of fragile X syndrome
Until recently, scientists thought they understood one of the underlying causes of fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability in the United States. The syndrome, which is associated with autism, was believed to be linked...
Researchers exploit gene discovery in severe epilepsy to identify precision treatment
An international team of researchers who discovered a new gene disorder that causes severe childhood epilepsy leveraged that finding to reduce seizures in two children. The collaborators' case report reflects the potential of precision medicine--applying basic science...
Study shows continuous electrical stimulation suppresses seizures in patients with epilepsy
When surgery and medication don't help people with epilepsy, electrical stimulation of the brain has been a treatment of last resort. Unfortunately, typical approaches, such as vagal nerve stimulation or responsive nerve stimulation, rarely stop seizures altogether....
Epilepsy patients more likely to experience increased risk of discrimination than general population
In a recent analysis, people with epilepsy were seven-fold more likely to have reported experiencing discrimination due to health problems than the general population. This risk was greater than other chronic health problems such as diabetes, asthma and migraines....
WHAT ABOUT SUDEP
About Epilepsy and SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) When a person has two unprovoked seizures or one unprovoked seizure with the likelihood of more, they are considered to have epilepsy. Epilepsy affects 3 million people in the U.S. and 65 million...
Researchers discover network of neural regions involved in spread of seizures
A flurry of coordinated activity in a brain-spanning network of neurons may sound like the formation of a brilliant new idea, but it is actually the description of a seizure. Understanding why and how this synchronization spreads would be a critical tool in treating...
New study pinpoints individual neurons in the brain that support observational learning
Picture a little boy imitating his father shaving in the mirror or a little girl wobbling proudly in her mother's high heels. From infancy, we learn by watching other people, then use those memories to help us predict outcomes and make decisions in the future. Now a...
Research could pave way for more effective and safer anti-epilepsy drugs
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have discovered how a new epilepsy drug works, which may lead the way to even more effective and safer medications. The findings were published today in Neuron. The most commonly used anti-epilepsy drugs are...
Brain connections are more sophisticated than thought
In 1959, a scientist named Edward Gray showed that the miniscule gaps between neurons where chemical messages are sent, called synapses, come in two main varieties, which researchers later dubbed "excitatory" and "inhibitory." Inhibitory synapses act as the brakes in...
Different types of stroke have diverse risk profiles in overweight or obese women
According to new research, women who are overweight or obese may have an increased risk of the most common kind of stroke, called ischemic stroke, but a decreased risk of a more often deadly stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke. The study is published in the September 7,...
Tiny ‘fitbits’ to keep tabs on the body from within
BERKELEY, Calif. (Reuters) - Scientists are developing dust-sized wireless sensors implanted inside the body to track neural activity in real-time, offering a potential new way to monitor or treat a range of conditions including epilepsy and control next-generation...
Drug reduces seizure frequency in children with tuberous sclerosis complex
In an international study, the drug everolimus has been shown to significantly reduce the frequency of seizures in patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy an (TSC)—a genetic disease that causes malformations and tumors in the brain and other vital organs. The phase...
