Category: Epilepsy

New research from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne has shown why mutation in a single gene can cause epilepsy in infants.Infants are more susceptible to seizures because their brains are developing at a rapid rate, making their brain cells ‘excitable’. Their neurons are growing and making new connections with other nerve cells, which can disrupt normal brain activity and results in epilepsy.

Professor Mark Richardson, the new Paul Getty III Professor of Epilepsy at King’s College London, thanked Paul Getty at a Reception on Friday 21 September, for his generous donation to fund a Chair and research at the Institute of Epileptology.

Seizure disorder, mental retardation and psychoses are more prevalent in rural than urban areas in Mozambique. There is an urgent requirement for advocacy to enhance understanding of mental disorders, as well as investment in mental-health services in rural areas which can work together with traditional medical practitioners, according to an article in The Lancet, this week’s edition.

A history of maternal epilepsy and its associated treatment may be linked to impaired intelligence later in life, says a new study published in Epilepsia. Dr. Nina Oyen, M.D., of the University of Bergen and Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway, investigated the I.Q. levels of sons born to mothers with and without epilepsy, and found a correlation between intelligence and the illness.

OVATION Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have announced the initiation of a pivotal Phase III clinical trial evaluating clobazam, a unique 1,5 benzodiazapine with significant anticonvulsant properties, as adjunctive treatment for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), one of the most severe forms of childhood epilepsy that frequently persists into adulthood.

Action Medical Research has announced that a new MRI scanning technique could mean life-changing curative surgery for more people with epilepsy.The technique helps to pin-point the exact source of seizures in the brain and, where surgery is possible, the area may be removed. This can mean a future that is seizure free for those sufferers whose epilepsy cannot be controlled by drugs.

Carnegie Mellon University chemists have solved a decade-long molecular mystery that could eventually help scientists develop drug therapies to treat a variety of disorders, including epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Children are calling for a better understanding of epilepsy within mainstream schools, claims an innovative report by researchers at the School of Education, Birmingham University. Supported by the charity Epilepsy Action, the ‘Understanding of epilepsy by children with, or without, epilepsy’ report looks at how children think and feel about epilepsy.

One of the scariest moments in the life of a parent whose child suffers from epilepsy is when that child has a seizure. In addition, if the child is unattended, a prolonged seizure can lead to brain damage, and even death. Israeli startup BioLert is minimizing that risk by developing a warning device called Epilert to support a long needed remote monitoring solution for people with epilepsy and their caregivers.

People with epilepsy who experience multiple auras, sensations such as a cold breeze or bright light before they have a seizure, may be good candidates for epilepsy surgery because their seizures seem to be coming from one area of the brain, according to a study published in the August 21, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.