Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Jumping genes can contribute to rare childhood developmental disorders

The largest study of its kind into childhood developmental disorders has discovered that jumping genes cause genetic changes in some patients with undiagnosed neurodevelopmental diseases.

11 Oct 2019

Criticality is a hallmark of normally functioning brain networks, research shows

Researchers long wondered how the billions of independent neurons in the brain come together to reliably build a biological machine that easily beats the most advanced computers. All of those tiny interactions appear to be tied to something that guarantees an impressive computational capacity.

8 Oct 2019

Deep brain stimulation effective in resistant depression

A new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry says deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment in depressed patients who do not respond to other forms of therapy. The study published on October 4, 2019, looked at the long-term effects on patients who had received electrical stimulation to the subcallosal cingulate area of the brain. The subcallosal cingulate area of the brain is also called Brodmann Area 25, and has been targeted by researchers as a possible focus for antidepressant stimulation.

7 Oct 2019

Rare genetic disorder more common than previously thought, report shows

Approximately one in forty-two thousand children are born with a disease called CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, according to a new medical report recently published in the journal Brain and presented last month at the 13th European Pediatric Neurology Society Congress in Athens, Greece.

4 Oct 2019

Long-term study data shows DBS is effective for patients with treatment-resistant depression

A study published online on Friday, October 4, in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of an area in the brain called the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) provides a robust antidepressant effect that is sustained over a long period of time in patients with treatment-resistant depression--the most severely depressed patients who have not responded to other treatments.

4 Oct 2019

Study: Drops in income may lead to thinking problems, reduced brain health

Young adults who experience annual income drops of 25 percent or more may be more at risk of having thinking problems and reduced brain health in middle age, according to a study published in the October 2, 2019, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Oct 2019

Study shows how brake cell failure causes some types of seizure disorders

A study has revealed that brake cell failure causes some types of seizure disorders.

2 Oct 2019

WVU researcher explores the brain in a new way to better understand cognition

Where is Waldo? Whether we're searching for Waldo or our keys in a room of clutter, we tap into a part of the frontal region of the brain when performing visual, goal-related tasks. Some of us do it well, whereas for others it's a bit challenging.

1 Oct 2019

Function of certain 'brake cells' disrupted in some forms of epilepsy

In some forms of epilepsy, the function of certain "brake cells" in the brain is presumed to be disrupted. This may be one of the reasons why the electrical malfunction is able to spread from the point of origin across large parts of the brain.

1 Oct 2019

UC experts explore if ketogenic diet could help make treatments for glioblastoma

Investigators at the University of Cincinnati are studying whether or not a modified Atkins-type ketogenic diet could help make treatments for a common, but dangerous, type of brain cancer called glioblastoma more effective.

30 Sep 2019

Healthy neurons form surprising connections with aggressive brain cancer cells

In a collaborative study by the University of Bergen, Universität Heidelberg and Das Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum in Germany, researchers discovered that cancer cells in the brain communicate with healthy brain cells in a different way than previously assumed.

27 Sep 2019

Non-invasive treatment shows early promise for vestibular migraine attacks

There may be some good news for people with vestibular migraine, a type of migraine that causes vertigo and dizziness with or without headache pain.

26 Sep 2019

UCI researchers receive BRAIN Initiative grant to lead development of new brain mapping tool

Professors Xiangmin Xu and Rozanne Sandri-Goldin, in collaboration with Professors Bert Semler and Todd Holmes at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, were awarded a three-year, $4.3 million Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative grant.

26 Sep 2019

No evidence found for previously suspected warning signs of seizures

By studying the brain dynamics of 28 subjects with epilepsy, scientists demonstrated there is no evidence for a previously suspected warning sign for seizures known as "critical slowing down."

24 Sep 2019

Dogs can suffer from same autoimmune encephalitis as humans, research reveals

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that dogs can suffer from the same type of autoimmune encephalitis that people do. The finding could lead to better screening methods for diagnosis and possibly more effective treatments for canine encephalitis.

24 Sep 2019

New discovery may revolutionize treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that the spreading of seizures through the brain can be suppressed depending on the amount of pressure within the brain, an important discovery that may revolutionize the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.

23 Sep 2019

How one family counters epilepsy and caregiver stress by giving back

For people with epilepsy, seizures affect almost every aspect of their lives. The seizures also affect their caregivers' lives, with impacts on physical health, emotional functioning, social relationships, employment and finances.

23 Sep 2019

Identification and management of depression in people with epilepsy to save lives

Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity in people with epilepsy. Clinical studies have found that 20% to 30% of people with epilepsy have depression; the incidence may be as high as 50% to 55% in people visiting hospital epilepsy centers.

21 Sep 2019