Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

FDA accepts NDA review for new anticonvulsant drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) seeking marketing approval for Retigabine. In addition, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) confirmed on November 17, 2009 that the MAA (Marketing Authorization Application) was successfully validated thus enabling the MAA review to commence.

30 Dec 2009

Study explains how semaphorin gene regulates synapse formation

By combining a research technique that dates back 136 years with modern molecular genetics, a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist has been able to see how a mammal's brain shrewdly revisits and reuses the same molecular cues to control the complex design of its circuits.

29 Dec 2009

Research suggests common mechanism is associated with different human diseases

Inherited mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) are associated with many different human diseases, including genetic forms of epilepsy and chronic pain. Theodore Cummins and colleagues, at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, have now determined the functional consequence of three such mutations.

29 Dec 2009

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals reports financial results for three months and twelve months ended September 30, 2009

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today financial results for the three months and twelve months ended September 30, 2009. The Company reported a net loss of $746,000, or $0.02 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2009 compared to a loss of $1,055,000, or $0.03 per share, for the three months ended September 30, 2008.

28 Dec 2009

Brain circuit that holds the memory discovered

Ben W. Strowbridge, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience and physiology/biophysics, and Phillip Larimer, PhD, a MD/PhD student in the neurosciences graduate program at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, are the first to create stimulus-specific sustained activity patterns in brain circuits maintained in vitro.

28 Dec 2009

Protective benefits of Alzheimer's and cancer may lead to new diagnostic treatments

People who have Alzheimer's disease may be less likely to develop cancer, and people who have cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the December 23, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Dec 2009

iGuard registers 2 million subscribers in just over 2 years

iGuard, a drug safety system that monitors patient medications for drug interactions, safety alerts and recalls, today announced it has registered 2 million subscribers in just over 2 years - matching the early growth rate of the popular social networking tool Twitter.

22 Dec 2009

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries initiates its T2007 non-sedating barbiturate compound Phase I clinical trials

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced that it has begun Phase I clinical trials in Canada with T2007, the second in the Company’s class of proprietary non-sedating barbiturate compounds to be approved for studies in humans.

18 Dec 2009

Four commonly used chemotherapy drugs disrupt birth of new brain cells, shows study

Researchers have developed a novel animal model showing that four commonly used chemotherapy drugs disrupt the birth of new brain cells, and that the condition could be partially reversed with the growth factor IGF-1.

18 Dec 2009

Switching between A-rated anti-epileptic drug formulations does not increase seizure risk

Express Scripts, Inc., one of the largest pharmacy benefit management companies in North America, announced today results of a study that examined the association of seizure risk among epilepsy patients after switching between A-rated anti-epileptic drug formulations. The study found no evidence that switching between A-rated anti-epileptic drugs, including brand to generic substitution, was associated with increased emergency room visits or hospitalizations for epilepsy.

17 Dec 2009

RRE-90 score: A new web-based tool to predict recurrent stroke risk

Scientists have developed a new web-based tool that may better predict whether a person will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first stroke, according to research published in the December 16, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Dec 2009

NREF supports new post-residency fellowship grant program

The NREF has reached an agreement with Codman & Shurtleff, Inc. to provide funding to the NREF in support of the Foundation's new post-residency fellowship grant program.

16 Dec 2009

CHUM neurosurgeon raises funds for epilepsy research

On January 8, 2010, CHUM neurosurgeon Dr. Alain Bouthillier will leave for Argentina, where he will brave the 6,962-metre heights (over 22,840 feet) of Mount Aconcagua. Dr. Bouthillier's climb is intended to raise public awareness about epilepsy and raise funds for further research on the illness.

15 Dec 2009

Scientists identify potential drug development target for epilepsy seizures

A team of scientists from The University of Alabama used worms to reel in information that they hope will lead to a greater understanding of cellular mechanisms that may be exploited to treat epilepsy.

10 Dec 2009

NeuroPace announces clinical trial results demonstrating the RNS System

NeuroPace, Inc. today announced that results from its pivotal trial demonstrated the RNS- System, a novel investigational device that utilizes responsive brain neurostimulation, significantly reduced the frequency of seizures among people who have a common form of epilepsy that is difficult to treat with medication.

9 Dec 2009

Results of two new studies support the use of intravenous Vimpat for patients in clinical settings

Results of two new studies support the use of the intravenous formulation of the antiepileptic drug (AED) Vimpat® for patients requiring add-on therapy in clinical settings where oral AED therapy is temporarily not feasible.

8 Dec 2009

NeuroPace's RNS System effective for controlling seizures not treatable by medication in epilepsy patients

NeuroPace, Inc. today announced that results from its pivotal trial demonstrated the RNS® System, a novel investigational device that utilizes responsive brain neurostimulation, significantly reduced the frequency of seizures among people who have a common form of epilepsy that is difficult to treat with medication.

8 Dec 2009

$225,000 funding for promising epilepsy research

The Epilepsy Research Foundation (ERF), a unique joint venture of non-profit epilepsy organizations, and the Milken Family Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation, today announced two new grants recognizing promising epilepsy research in clinical development, totaling $225,000 in funding. The grant awards were announced by the Epilepsy Therapy Project and the Epilepsy Foundation, as well as the Milken Family Foundation, during the 7th Judith Hoyer Lecture in Epilepsy at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society in Boston, MA.

7 Dec 2009

UCB presents data on Vimpat AED at AES meeting

UCB today announced new findings on its antiepileptic drug (AED) Vimpat® that offer additional clinical evidence supporting the use of this AED as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with partial-onset seizures. Results of presented research demonstrate sustained efficacy in adult patients taking Vimpat® for up to three years, and a consistent long-term tolerability profile.

7 Dec 2009

Neuroscientists show how brain waves can be used to perform certain tasks

Neuroscientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, Fla., have demonstrated how brain waves can be used to type alphanumerical characters on a computer screen. By merely focusing on the "q" in a matrix of letters, for example, that "q" appears on the monitor.

7 Dec 2009