Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Study reveals why people develop life-threatening drug allergies

A research team led by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, Australia, has discovered why people can develop life-threatening allergies after receiving treatment for conditions such as epilepsy and AIDS.

25 May 2012

UCSF receives $20M Sandler Foundation gift for neuroscience research and care

UCSF has received a challenge gift of $20 million from the Sandler Foundation that will provide major support for the university's groundbreaking research and clinical care efforts regarding neurological diseases.

25 May 2012

UCSF scientists aim to use embryonic stem cells for treatment of neuropathic pain

Chronic pain, by definition, is difficult to manage, but a new study by UCSF scientists shows how a cell therapy might one day be used not only to quell some common types of persistent and difficult-to-treat pain, but also to cure the conditions that give rise to them.

25 May 2012

Study sheds light on role of microglia in the normal brain

Researchers have shown in mice how immune cells in the brain target and remove unused connections between brain cells during normal development. This research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, sheds light on how brain activity influences brain development, and highlights the newly found importance of the immune system in how the brain is wired, as well as how the brain forms new connections throughout life in response to change.

24 May 2012

Brain cells prune circuits in the brain by eating away excess synapses

We’re born with our brains prewired, but as information comes in from our environment, this circuitry is updated. A study from Boston Children’s Hospital provides a new glimpse of how this happens: Brain cells known as microglia, tuned into the crosstalk between neurons, literally engulf unnecessary connections, known as synapses, and prune them away.

24 May 2012

Statins may reduce hospital stay for patients with stroke

A new study suggests that using cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins after having a stroke may increase the likelihood of returning home and lessen the chance of dying in the hospital.

22 May 2012

CHDI, Lundbeck enter collaboration to investigate targeted therapy for Huntington's disease

CHDI Foundation, Inc. and Lundbeck today announced a research collaboration to investigate a targeted therapy for Huntington's disease (HD). Currently, no treatment exists to slow or halt the progression of HD, a challenging hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by a triad of behavioral, cognitive, and motor symptoms.

21 May 2012

Pfizer announces results from Lyrica clinical studies on fibromyalgia

Pfizer Inc. announced the results of studies on Lyrica (pregabalin) capsules CV presented at the American Pain Society Annual Meeting in Honolulu.

19 May 2012

Study demonstrates impact of epilepsy on child and parent sleep patterns

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston have determined that pediatric epilepsy significantly impacts sleep patterns for the child and parents. According to the study available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), sharing a room or co-sleeping with their child with epilepsy decreases the sleep quality and prevents restful sleep for parents.

18 May 2012

Head impacts may worsen contact sport athletes’ ability to acquire new information

A new study suggests that head impacts experienced during contact sports such as football and hockey may worsen some college athletes' ability to acquire new information. The research is published in the May 16, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 May 2012

Anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital stunts neuronal growth

A brain study in infant rats demonstrates that the anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital stunts neuronal growth, which could prompt new questions about using the first-line drug to treat epilepsy in human newborns.

11 May 2012

Excess brain activity contributes to amnestic mild cognitive impairment

A study led by a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist and published in the May 10 issue of the journal Neuron suggests a potential new therapeutic approach for improving memory and interrupting disease progression in patients with a form of cognitive impairment that often leads to full-blown Alzheimer's disease.

11 May 2012

Results reported for clinical trial for the treatment of depression using external trigeminal nerve stimulation

Earlier today, at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Dr. Ian Cook, Principal Investigator and Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, and a Senior Medical Advisor to NeuroSigma, Inc., presented the results of a Phase Ib open-label clinical trial that studied the effects of eTNS™ on depressive symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy. Results from the 17-question Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), a clinician-rated scale, showed a 50.0% reduction in depression and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a self-reported scale, showed a 58.0% reduction in scores. Both scales achieved statistical significance. In the trial, subjects placed stimulating eTNS™ electrodes on their foreheads for 8 hours each night and their depression was measured every two weeks using recognized standard tests. eTNS was well tolerated and no serious adverse events occurred during the 8-week treatment period.

9 May 2012

Domain Surgical's FMwand successfully used in 100 cases

Domain Surgical, a leading developer of advanced thermal surgical technology, today announced that its novel FMwand Ferromagnetic Surgical System has been used successfully in 100 cases. The FMwand simultaneously cuts and coagulates tissue without passing electrical current into the patient, making it safe to use near delicate tissue structures.

9 May 2012

eTNS therapy can impact symptoms in pharmacoresistant major depression

9 May 2012

Otsuka announces results from aripiprazole Phase 3 trial on schizophrenia

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and H. Lundbeck A/S today announced results from a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of once-monthly aripiprazole intramuscular (IM) depot formulation for the maintenance treatment of adults with schizophrenia.

8 May 2012

Vertex reports interim data from VX-809 and KALYDECO combination Phase 2 study for cystic fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today an interim analysis of data from an ongoing Phase 2 study of VX-809 and KALYDECO (ivacaftor) that showed significant improvements in lung function (FEV1) among adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have two copies.

7 May 2012

Automated way to record electrical activity inside neurons in the living brain

Gaining access to the inner workings of a neuron in the living brain offers a wealth of useful information: its patterns of electrical activity, its shape, even a profile of which genes are turned on at a given moment. However, achieving this entry is such a painstaking task that it is considered an art form; it is so difficult to learn that only a small number of labs in the world practice it.

7 May 2012

Pfizer terminates Lyrica Phase 3 trial on neuropathic pain associated with HIV neuropathy

Pfizer Inc. announced today that it has stopped a Phase 3 clinical trial of Lyrica (pregabalin) in patients with neuropathic pain associated with HIV neuropathy, a form of nerve damage characterized by burning pain usually beginning in the feet. The decision follows review of a planned interim analysis of the study by the trial's external Data Monitoring Committee.

5 May 2012

Pfizer’s Lyrica Phase 3 study on pDPN fails to meet primary endpoint

Pfizer Inc. announced today that a Phase 3 randomized withdrawal design study for Lyrica (pregabalin) in patients with inadequately treated painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint, change in endpoint mean pain score relative to baseline.

5 May 2012