Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Iceland joins with WHO to support work towards integrated brain health

His Excellency Mr Harald Aspelund, Ambassador of the Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva and Ms Jane Ellison, WHO Executive Director for External Relations and Governance signed a new contribution agreement to support work towards integrated brain health, that will be led by a newly established unit within the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use.

8 Dec 2020

Visual short-term memory is more complex than has long been assumed

When we see a banana, at first we only notice yellow and smoothness. Only later do we recognize the crescent shape and the fact that it is a banana.

8 Dec 2020

Researchers use novel technology to prevent destruction of specific proteins inside cells

Columbia researchers have created a new technology using synthetic llama antibodies to prevent specific proteins from being destroyed inside cells.

8 Dec 2020

New spin-out company to bring the world's most advanced brain scanner to market

A new type of wearable brain scanner, designed to allow people to move freely whilst being scanned, is a step closer to being used in hospitals with the launch of a new partnership.

7 Dec 2020

Salk neuroscientists win NIH grants to gain new insights into brain function

Salk Institute neuroscientists Edward Callaway, Sreekanth Chalasani, and Nancy Padilla Coreano have been named recipients in the 2020 round of grants from the National Institutes of Health to gain new insights into brain function.

7 Dec 2020

Study finds link between brain’s network connections and epilepsy-related atrophy

An international study has found a link between the brain's network connections and grey matter atrophy caused by certain types of epilepsy, a major step forward in our understanding of the disease.

2 Dec 2020

Reducing the delay in neurofeedback can increase the efficacy of training

HSE University scientists have for the first time in the world investigated the impact of delayed reinforcement signals in neurofeedback (NFB) training.

2 Dec 2020

Medically active component of cannabis does not impact driving ability, study shows

A landmark study on how cannabis affects driving ability has shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis component now widely used for medical purposes, does not impair driving, while moderate amounts of the main intoxicating component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produce mild driving impairment lasting up to four hours.

1 Dec 2020

Doctors report first case of mirror writing in patient with epilepsy

In new research presented at Euroanaesthesia (the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care [ESAIC]), doctors report a highly unusual case of a right-handed patient performing unconscious 'mirror-writing' with her left hand while in the midst of having epileptic seizures in the emergency room.

1 Dec 2020

New study could help treat people with reading disorders

The uniquely human ability to read is the cornerstone of modern civilization, yet very little is understood about the effortless ability to derive meaning from written words.

1 Dec 2020

UTHSC and Regeneron partner to advance precision medicine

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center has entered into an agreement with the Regeneron Genetics Center, a subsidiary of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for the company to sequence DNA that has been voluntarily collected and stored as part of a biorepository initiative UTHSC is building in collaboration with its partner teaching hospitals.

18 Nov 2020

Aarhus University to open new engineering and neuroscience research center

A new cross-disciplinary center will develop brain-machine interface technologies. One of the goals is to develop the next generation of technology to monitor, diagnose, and treat brain diseases while at the same time developing brand new brain-inspired AI hardware.

17 Nov 2020

Neuroscientists identify astrocytes as master 'conductors' of the brain

In the orchestra of the brain, the firing of each neuron is controlled by two notes--excitatory and inhibitory-- that come from two distinct forms of a cellular structure called synapses.

12 Nov 2020

“Molecular volume knob” in the brain helps with learning, memory

A "molecular volume knob" regulating electrical signals in the brain helps with learning and memory, according to a Dartmouth study.

11 Nov 2020

Two studies focus on ethical aspects of brain-computer interface technologies

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies are no longer hypothetical, yet there are fundamental aspects of the technology that remain unaddressed by both ethicists and policy-makers.

10 Nov 2020

World Health Assembly to discuss plan for addressing COVID-19 response and critical health goals

As health leaders prepare to gather for a virtual session of the resumed 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA), WHO has three messages to share.

5 Nov 2020

Researchers develop guidelines to standardize performance tests for neural interfaces

How can scientists measure and define the performance of neural electrodes if there are no uniform standards? Freiburg microsystems engineer Dr. Maria Asplund together with Dr. Christian Böhler and Prof. Dr. Thomas Stieglitz, as well as Prof. Dr. Luciano Fadiga and Dr. Stefano Carli from the Italian Institute of Technology at the University of Ferrara, Italy, have developed guidelines to standardize the testing of the performance of electrodes for neural interfaces and bioelectronic systems.

29 Oct 2020

Study finds no association between leisure activities and lower dementia risk

Studies have suggested that taking part in leisure activities such as playing cards or gardening may be associated with a lower risk of developing dementia.

28 Oct 2020

Antiseizure drug use during pregnancy linked with double the risk of having children with autism

Women with epilepsy who take the antiseizure drug valproic acid while pregnant are at more than double the risk of having children with autism spectrum disorder and nearly double the risk of having children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study in the October 28, 2020, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Oct 2020

Study focuses on electroencephalogram abnormalities of the brain

Throughout the pandemic, healthcare workers have seen more than just the lungs affected by COVID-19. Doctors have reported neurological complications including stroke, headache and seizures, but the information is limited to a number of individual reports that are not reflective of a larger population.

28 Oct 2020