Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

New scoring method helps predict functional outcomes in stroke

A new scoring method can help doctors quickly decide which stroke patients will respond well to the clot-busting drug alteplase, according to a study published in the February 7, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Feb 2012

FDA clears Neurelis IND to commence NRL-1 clinical trials for acute breakthrough seizures

Neurelis, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared an Investigational New Drug application (IND) to commence clinical trials advancing the development of NRL-1 for the treatment of acute breakthrough seizures.

7 Feb 2012

Scientists capture finest nerve cell details in living mouse brain

To explore the most intricate structures of the brain in order to decipher how it functions - Stefan Hell's team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in G-ttingen has made a significant step closer to this goal. Using the STED microscopy developed by Hell, the scientists have, for the first time, managed to record detailed live images inside the brain of a living mouse.

7 Feb 2012

High beta-amyloid levels may affect brain performance in healthy adults

High levels of the protein beta-amyloid in the brain that is associated with Alzheimer's disease may affect brain performance even in healthy adults, according to a study published in the February 1, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Feb 2012

A mind-reading machine could be reality soon

Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley have devised a method by which they can hear thoughts. They conducted a small study in which they could predict what people were thinking based on their brain activity.

1 Feb 2012

RMC first in N.J. to offer TESSYS minimally invasive surgery for patients with herniated discs

Riverview Medical Center, part of Meridian Neuroscience, today announced it is the only hospital in the state of New Jersey to offer patients the TESSYS surgery method, a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of herniated discs.

1 Feb 2012

FDA approves UCB's Keppra for treatment of partial onset seizures in infants

UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Keppra (levetiracetam) tablets and oral solution as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures in adults and children one month of age and older with epilepsy.

27 Jan 2012

More efficient diagnostic tools are not always used for neuropathy patients

Researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed the tremendous cost of diagnosing peripheral neuropathy and found that less expensive, more effective tests are less likely to be used.

24 Jan 2012

Researchers analyze tremendous cost of peripheral neuropathy diagnosis

Researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed the tremendous cost of diagnosing peripheral neuropathy and found that less expensive, more effective tests are less likely to be used.

24 Jan 2012

UCSF-led study to sequence DNA from 4,000 people with epilepsy

To probe the genetic secrets of one of the most common neurological diseases, more than 4,000 people with various forms of epilepsy will have their DNA decoded over the next five years in a study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and several collaborating institutions.

23 Jan 2012

Distal-less gene plays a critical role in development of fruit fly olfactory system

Fruit flies don't have noses, but a huge part of their brains is dedicated to processing smells. Flies probably rely on the sense of smell more than any other sense for essential activities such as finding mates and avoiding danger. UW-Madison researchers have discovered that a gene called distal-less is critical to the fly's ability to receive, process and respond to smells.

20 Jan 2012

Mylan introduces Levetiracetam to treat seizures

Mylan Inc. today announced that its Mylan Institutional business has launched Levetiracetam in Sodium Chloride Injection, 500 mg/100 mL, 1000 mg/100 mL and 1500 mg/100 mL, for intravenous use.

19 Jan 2012

Defects in mitochondria lead to devastating neurodegenerative disease

A devastating neurodegenerative disease that first appears in toddlers just as they are beginning to walk has been traced to defects in mitochondria, the 'batteries' or energy-producing power plants of cells. This finding by a team of researchers, led by investigators from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro- at McGill University, was published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

18 Jan 2012

Children with neurologic impairment account for increasing hospital resources

Because of care advances, more infants and children with previously lethal health problems are surviving. Many, however, are left with lifelong neurologic impairment. A Children's Hospital Boston study of more than 25 million pediatric hospitalizations in the U.S. now shows that neurologically impaired children, though still a relatively small part of the overall population, account for increasing hospital resources, particularly within children's hospitals.

18 Jan 2012

Researchers discover gene that causes benign familial infantile epilepsy

A team of Australian researchers has come a step closer to unlocking a mystery that causes epileptic seizures in babies.

17 Jan 2012

AAN neurologist receives prestigious award at Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum

The American Academy of Neurology(AAN) has named neurologist Constantine Moschonas, MD, of Scottsdale, Ariz., as the AAN Donald M. Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum Advocate of the Year. Moschonas received his award at the Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum on January 14, 2012, in Austin, Texas, for his outstanding work in raising awareness about brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, autism, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

17 Jan 2012

Arm sling or cast use after injury may cause rapid brain shift

Using a sling or cast after injuring an arm may cause your brain to shift quickly to adjust, according to a study published in the January 17, 2012, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Jan 2012

Source of infantile epilepsy found in a gene

Researchers from Adelaide have discovered a 20-year mystery about a type of epilepsy in infants. It is caused by a single mutation in one gene they found. The discovery will allow for better screening, diagnosis and prediction of the risk of seizures for sufferers of benign familial infantile epilepsy, the researchers say.

16 Jan 2012

CHUMS project to measure outcomes of NHS care in children with neurodisabilites

An exciting new study that will help put children with neurodisabilites at the centre of evaluating their own care has received almost a quarter of a million pounds (£250,00) in funding. The CHildren's oUtcome Measurement Study (CHUMS) will assess how to capture the views and experiences of children with neurodisability and their families in order to measure the outcomes of the NHS care they receive.

13 Jan 2012

Chemical preservative in cosmetics can interrupt neurological development

Scientists, health officials, and manufacturers already know that a chemical preservative found in some products, including cosmetics, is harmful to people and animals in high concentrations, but a new Brown University study in tadpoles reports that it can also interrupt neurological development even in very low concentrations.

11 Jan 2012