Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

FDA accepts Vertex's telaprevir NDA for six-month Priority Review

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for telaprevir and granted the company's request for six-month Priority Review. Telaprevir is Vertex's lead medicine in development for people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C.

20 Jan 2011

New research: HIV individuals are more likely to have stroke

New research suggests that people infected with human immunodeficiency virus may be up to three times more likely to have a stroke compared to those not affected with HIV. The study is published in the January 19, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 Jan 2011

New guideline recommends plasmapheresis usage to treat people with severe relapses in MS, neuropathies

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology recommends using plasma exchange to treat people with severe relapses in multiple sclerosis and related diseases, as well as those with certain kinds of nerve disorders known as neuropathies.

18 Jan 2011

ETP introduces online epilepsy diary management tool to advance patient care

The Epilepsy Therapy Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating new therapies for people living with epilepsy and seizures and the parent organization of epilepsy.com, today announced that it has expanded the use of its online epilepsy diary management tool with the launch of a new app developed to run on the Android mobile operating system.

18 Jan 2011

ITM scientists to combat tapeworm infection using drugs

The Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp increases its fight in Congo against the pork tapeworm, in spite of its name also a human parasite, causing epilepsy.

14 Jan 2011

Adjunctive lacosamide reduces seizures and improves responder rates

Comprehensive analyses of pooled data from three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase II/III trials showing the efficacy and tolerability of Vimpat® (lacosamide) C-V for patients with partial-onset seizures, regardless of the type of concomitant AED used, have been published in the drug evaluation journal, CNS Drugs.

13 Jan 2011

Video submissions invited for the 2011 Neuro Film Festival competition

People who have loved ones affected by a brain disorder or have been affected by a disorder themselves still have the opportunity to share their story by submitting a short video to the 2011 Neuro Film Festival(SM) competition at http://www.neurofilmfestival.com. The deadline for entries is February 15, 2011.

13 Jan 2011

The neuroscience of musical chills

Scientists have found that the pleasurable experience of listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain important for more tangible pleasures associated with rewards such as food, drugs and sex. The new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro at McGill University also reveals that even the anticipation of pleasurable music induces dopamine release [as is the case with food, drug, and sex cues].

13 Jan 2011

Emotional stress can affect motor coordination and other cerebellum-dependent cognitive functions: Study

Research conducted by Iaroslav Savtchouk, a graduate student, and S. June Liu, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has shown that a single exposure to acute stress affected information processing in the cerebellum - the area of the brain responsible for motor control and movement coordination and also involved in learning and memory formation.

13 Jan 2011

UCLA imaging system could help reveal 'miscommunications' in autism, schizophrenia

Some disorders of the brain are obvious - the massive death of brain cells after a stroke, the explosion in the growth of cells that marks a tumor. Other disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia and mental retardation show no physical signs of damage and are believed to be caused by problems in how brain cells communicate with one another.

13 Jan 2011

Two signaling molecules communicate across nerve cells to regulate electrical, chemical activity: Study

In the Old West, camps sent smoke signals across distances to share key developments or strategy. Likewise, two important signaling molecules communicate across nerve cells to regulate electrical and chemical activity, neuroscientists from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio reported today.

10 Jan 2011

ANAVEX 2-73 named 2010's 'most promising trial drug' by Alzheimer's Weekly

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. announced today that ANAVEX 2-73 has been named 2010's "most promising trial drug" by the editorial staff at Alzheimer's Weekly. The publication selected the ANAVEX 2-73 trial from a field of over 100 trials that treat dementias such as Alzheimer's and following the review of more than 10,000 articles.

7 Jan 2011

Researchers say women with multiple sclerosis have more HLA genes than men

Women who have multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have a gene associated with multiple sclerosis than men with the disease and it is this gene region where environment interacts with the genetics, according to a study published in the January 5, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Jan 2011

Maternal depression adversely affects quality of life in children with epilepsy

A study by Canadian researchers examined the prevalence of maternal depression and its impact on children newly diagnosed with epilepsy. Prevalence of depression in mothers ranged from 30%-38% within the first 24 months following a child’s epilepsy diagnosis. The mother’s depressive symptoms negatively impacted the child’s health-related quality of life, but the effects were moderated by the amount of family resources and mediated by how well the family functions and the extent of family demands. Details of this novel study appear online in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy.

5 Jan 2011

Child's epilepsy diagnosis impacts mother's mental health and family environment

5 Jan 2011

18F-FDG PET scans help evaluate cognitive dysfunction of pediatric fever-induced epilepsy

Sudden, catastrophic childhood epilepsy is a parent's worst nightmare, especially in the case of fever-induced refractory epileptic encephalopathy in school-age children (FIRES). While not much is known about the condition, new research published in the January issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography (PET) scans can offer an evaluation of cognitive dysfunction of FIRES, its evolution and further prognosis.

4 Jan 2011

Epilepsy more common than earlier thought: Study

Epilepsy prevalence and incidence is greater than earlier thought in the United States. The latest study shows that one in every 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy at some point in their life. Experts believe this new revelation calls for more attention and funding for the disease.

29 Dec 2010

Natus Medical ships ALGO hearing screeners to New South Wales

Natus Medical Incorporated today announced that it was awarded, and has shipped, a $1.3 million order for its ALGO hearing screeners from New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.

29 Dec 2010

Epilepsy not getting the public attention and research funding it deserves

Epilepsy, a common and serious neurologic disorder that affects millions of people, is not getting the public attention and funding for research it deserves, according to an editorial on a study published in the January 4, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Dec 2010

Fried fish consumption may increase risk of stroke

People living in the "stroke belt" states eat more fried fish than people living in the rest of the country, which may contribute to the high rate of death from stroke in those states, according to a study published in the December 22, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Dec 2010