Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Pfizer enters definitive merger agreement with Icagen

Pfizer Inc. and Icagen, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Pfizer, which currently owns approximately 11% of Icagen's fully diluted shares, will acquire the remaining 8.3 million shares at a price of $6.00 per share.

21 Jul 2011

VIVUS to present topiramate exposure, birth defect data at IEC

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that on August 31, 2011, during the late breaking poster session at the 29th International Epilepsy Congress in Rome, Italy, Dr. Alison Pack, Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, will present the results of a retrospective study of medical claims data on oral clefts (OC) and major congenital malformations (MCMs) associated with in utero topiramate exposure.

20 Jul 2011

Texas Children's Hospital uses new surgical approach for treating epilepsy

Texas Children's Hospital is the first hospital in the world to use real-time MRI-guided thermal imaging and laser technology to destroy lesions in the brain that cause epilepsy and uncontrollable seizures.

19 Jul 2011

First neurobiological evidence for theory of episodic memory

Almost everyone has experienced one memory triggering another, but explanations for that phenomenon have proved elusive. Now, University of Pennsylvania researchers have provided the first neurobiological evidence that memories formed in the same context become linked, the foundation of the theory of episodic memory.

19 Jul 2011

Upsher-Smith initiates USL261 ARTEMIS1 Phase III study for seizure clusters in epilepsy patients

Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. announced today the initiation of a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of USL261, an investigational intranasal midazolam, for the rescue treatment of seizures in patients on stable anti-epileptic drug (AED) regimens who require control of intermittent bouts of increased seizure activity, frequently referred to as seizure clusters. USL261 has been granted orphan drug designation for this use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

18 Jul 2011

NSVascular signs exclusive license with UCLA for Thin-Film Nitinol technology

NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, today announced the formation of a majority owned subsidiary, NSVascular, Inc. and the signing of an exclusive license with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) covering its medical applications of Thin-Film Nitinol (TFN) technology. Nitinol is a superelastic nickel and titanium alloy with unique properties that allow deformation and subsequent full recovery of the original shape upon exposure to body heat.

18 Jul 2011

Gladstone plans to create new center for Alzheimer's disease research

The Gladstone Institutes today announced plans to create a Center for Comprehensive Alzheimer's Disease Research, offering new hope for the millions of families stricken by this debilitating neurodegenerative disease.

16 Jul 2011

Retinal cells require vitamin C to function properly

Nerve cells in the eye require vitamin C in order to function properly - a surprising discovery that may mean vitamin C is required elsewhere in the brain for its proper functioning, according to a study by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

16 Jul 2011

Researchers discover new gene linked to intellectual disability

A gene linked to intellectual disability was found in a study involving the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) - a discovery that was greatly accelerated by international collaboration and new genetic sequencing technology, which is now being used at CAMH.

15 Jul 2011

Maintaining general health may help reduce risk for dementia

Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, such as denture fit, vision and hearing, may lower a person's risk for developing dementia, according to a new study published in the July 13, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Jul 2011

UW scientists determine atomic architecture of sodium channel

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle have determined the atomic architecture of a sodium channel. The achievement opens new possibilities for molecular medicine researchers around the world in designing better drugs for pain, epilepsy, and heart rhythm disturbances.

14 Jul 2011

Reproductive steroids may play a role in occurrence of generalized tonic-clonic seizures in women

A recent multi-center study determined that women with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) had a greater number of seizures during anovulatory cycles-menstrual cycles where an egg is not released-than in cycles where ovulation occurs. According to the study publishing today in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), reproductive steroids may play a role in GTCS occurrence.

14 Jul 2011

Osteoporosis, low bone density common in people with early-stage MS

Osteoporosis and low bone density are common in people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published in the July 12, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Jul 2011

Anavex exercises warrants to raise $1.575 million

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. is pleased to announce that it has raised $1,575,000 through the exercise of warrants. Funds will be used to continue the Phase I clinical trial of ANAVEX 2-73, the company's lead drug candidate for Alzheimer's disease, to advance other compounds in the Anavex pipeline, and for general corporate purposes.

11 Jul 2011

Study links OBEs with neural instability and errors in body representation

Although out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are typically associated with migraine, epilepsy and psychopathology, they are quite common in healthy and psychologically normal individuals as well. However, they are poorly understood.

11 Jul 2011

Study: Breastfeeding does not appear to protect women from MS relapses

New research finds breastfeeding doesn't appear to protect against multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses, despite previous studies suggesting there may be a protective role. The research is published in the July 6, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Jul 2011

Global research initiative to improve health care for people with MNS disorders

Mental health experts are calling for a greater world focus on improving access to care and treatment for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders, as well as increasing discoveries in research that will enable this goal to be met.

7 Jul 2011

Nanoscientist to develop new microsystem for more efficient drug-testing

A University of Southampton nanoscientist is working on a new microsystem for more efficient testing of pharmaceutical drugs to treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, MG (myasthenia gravis) and epilepsy.

6 Jul 2011

Some generic anti-epilepsy drugs may not be effective

30 Jun 2011

Research raises questions about some generic epilepsy drugs

Generic anti-epilepsy drugs, pharmaceutical products similar to brand-name versions, save consumers billions of dollars each year, but some are different enough from branded formulations that they may not be effective, particularly if patients switch between two generic drugs, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. A report on the study, published online and in an upcoming issue of Annals of Neurology, raises questions about whether some generic products are safe and effective when a narrow dose range separates patients from help and harm.

30 Jun 2011