Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

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

Regular jogging increases life expectancy

Undertaking regular jogging increases the life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years, reveals the latest data from the Copenhagen City Heart study presented at the EuroPRevent2012 meeting.

4 May 2012

Study reveals evidence about harmful effects of glycogen accumulation in neurons

Collaborative research by groups headed by scientists Joan J. Guinovart and Marco Mil-n at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) has revealed conclusive evidence about the harmful effects of the accumulation of glucose chains (glycogen) in fly and mouse neurons.

3 May 2012

Rapamycin could help prevent autism in newborns with seizures

Early-life seizures are known to be associated with autism, and studies indicate that about 40 percent of patients with autism also have epilepsy. A study from Boston Children's Hospital finds a reason for the link, and suggests that an existing drug, already shown to be safe in children, could help prevent autism from developing in newborns who have seizures.

3 May 2012

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids linked with lower blood beta-amyloid levels

A new study suggests that eating foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, chicken, salad dressing and nuts, may be associated with lower blood levels of a protein related to Alzheimer's disease and memory problems.

3 May 2012

Parental history of psychosis linked with increased risk of epilepsy in offspring

Although the two disorders may seem dissimilar, epilepsy and psychosis are associated. Individuals with epilepsy are more likely to have schizophrenia, and a family history of epilepsy is a risk factor for psychosis. It is not known whether the converse is true, i.e., whether a family history of psychosis is a risk factor for epilepsy.

3 May 2012

Levetiracetam to be tested for seizure management in malaria endemic regions

Michigan State University researchers, with the help of a groundbreaking medical device, are starting a clinical trial in Africa they hope will provide relief for the hundreds of thousands of children who survive cerebral malaria but are left stricken with epilepsy or other neurologic disorders.

2 May 2012

Rochester researcher to continue MS study

A Rochester, New York, researcher will receive a $263,622 grant to continue his study of injury to brain cell connections (synapses) in multiple sclerosis (MS) through the American Brain Foundation (formerly the American Academy of Neurology Foundation) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Clinician-Scientist Development Award.

27 Apr 2012

Conference to focus on deep brain stimulation for OCD, depression

Deep brain stimulation, increasingly recognized as an effective therapy for certain cases of Parkinson's disease, dystonia and tremor, also may help patients who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression that fails to respond to other treatments.

27 Apr 2012

HMS researcher receives $130,000 to conduct epilepsy study

A researcher from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School is receiving $130,000 to conduct further research on memory dysfunction in epilepsy patients through the Susan S. Spencer Clinical Research Training Fellowship.

27 Apr 2012

Researchers discover how adult brain can adapt to new situations

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, this is not always true. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have now discovered how the adult brain can adapt to new situations. The Dutch researchers' findings are published on Wednesday in the prestigious journal Neuron. Their study may be significant in the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia.

27 Apr 2012

UCSF researcher to study risk factors and consequences of stroke

A San Francisco researcher is receiving $130,000 for her research studying risk factors and consequences of stroke among different racial/ethnic groups through the AHA/ASA/ABF Lawrence M. Brass, MD, Stroke Research Postdoctoral Fellowship from the American Brain Foundation,(formerly the American Academy of Neurology Foundation), the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.

27 Apr 2012

UIC researcher to explore causes of myasthenia gravis

A University of Illinois at Chicago researcher is the recipient of a $240,000 research grant to further explore the causes of myasthenia gravis, a neurologic disease affecting muscles.

27 Apr 2012

New article describes design and properties of magnetoelectric composite materials

Up to now, the brain's magnetic field is measurable only under technical laboratory conditions. This technique is therefore not feasible in terms of the broader medical use, although it would be significant for diagnosing numerous conditions such as epilepsy and dementia, or even for improving therapies such as deep brain stimulation for treating Parkinson's disease.

27 Apr 2012

Simple wrist sensor could gauge severity of epileptic seizures

In this week's issue of the journal Neurology, researchers at MIT and two Boston hospitals provide early evidence that a simple, unobtrusive wrist sensor could gauge the severity of epileptic seizures as accurately as electroencephalograms (EEGs) do - but without the ungainly scalp electrodes and electrical leads.

27 Apr 2012

Researchers develop five different molecular models of the voltage sensor

Every thought, every movement, every heartbeat is controlled by lightning-quick electrical impulses in the brain, the muscles, and the heart. But too much electrical excitability in the membranes of the cells can cause things like epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmia. A research group at Linköping University has now published new discoveries that can lead to new medicines for these diseases.

25 Apr 2012

AANF changes name to American Brain Foundation

The American Academy of Neurology Foundation is now the American Brain Foundation. The name change is part of an overall re-branding campaign as the organization repositions itself to become the world's leader in raising money for research to cure brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, Parkinson's disease, autism, and epilepsy.

25 Apr 2012