Seizure News and Research

Latest Seizure News and Research

Study suggests that eye movements during REM sleep responsible for resetting dream 'snapshots'

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, the period in which we experience vivid dreams, was discovered by scientists in the 1950s. Because REM sleep is associated with dreaming, on the one hand, and eye movement, on the other, it has been tempting to assume that each movement of the eye is associated with a specific dream image. But despite decades of intense research by leading international scientists, this intuitive hypothesis has remained unproven.

13 Aug 2015

First drug produced by 3D printing is approved by FDA

Levetiracetam manufactured using three-dimensional (3D) printing has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of epilepsy.

5 Aug 2015

U.S. Navy leads government category in annual ranking of patent portfolios

Predicting the risk of pirate attacks on vital shipping lanes could soon be easier, thanks to a data system that's just one of 364 technologies patented by the U.S. Navy (DoN) in 2014.

31 Jul 2015

Focal symptoms may be prognostic in generalised epilepsies

Symptoms consistent with focal seizures are often reported by patients who have idiopathic generalised epilepsies and are associated with a short duration of freedom from seizures, say researchers.

24 Jul 2015

New project aims to revolutionize application of optogenetics in neuroscience

The revolution that optogenetics technology has brought to biology -- neuroscience in particular -- could be transformed all over again if a new project getting underway at Brown University and Central Michigan University is successful.

17 Jul 2015

Changes in body temperature can cause sudden cardiac death, finds SFU research

Scientists, including SFU professor Peter Ruben, have found that sudden death caused by cardiac arrhythmia can be triggered by changes in body temperature. The study is published in the Journal of Physiology.

17 Jul 2015

Iowa researchers gain important insight into sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is becoming increasingly recognized as a very real and devastating problem in which impaired breathing is thought to play a critical role. Researchers believe breathing may be impaired during and after seizures, without the patient's knowledge.

16 Jul 2015

Vanderbilt doctors urge Middle Tennesseans to take extra care to avoid heat-related illnesses

With temperatures holding steady in the upper 90s and even reaching 100 degrees this week, doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are urging Middle Tennesseans to take extra precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses.

15 Jul 2015

Highlights from the most recent issue of Epilepsy Currents

The latest issue of Epilepsy Currents is now available featuring expert commentary on abstracts in basic science and clinical topics.

15 Jul 2015

New self-monitoring app introduced to support adults with epilepsy

A new self-monitoring app launched to support adults with epilepsy will help to 'fill the information gap' left by NHS funding cuts for GP epilepsy monitoring, according to specialist epilepsy charity SUDEP Action.

15 Jul 2015

Envarsus XR receives FDA approval for treatment of kidney transplant recipients

Veloxis Pharmaceuticals A/S today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Envarsus XR (tacrolimus extended-release tablets) for the prophylaxis of rejection in kidney transplant patients who require or desire conversion from other twice-daily tacrolimus products to once-daily Envarsus XR.

11 Jul 2015

New study confirms neuroprotective role of PrPC against epilepsy

For some time, scientists have been wondering what the physiological role of PrP is in its normal physiological state. Previous studies suggested that among its functions one was preventing the onset of seizure discharges in the brain (most likely by modulating the action of specific synaptic channels), but some had questioned the validity of the research.

9 Jul 2015

Study sheds new light on how the brain forms memories

In the first study of its kind, UCLA and United Kingdom researchers found that neurons in a specific brain region play a key role in rapidly forming memories about every day events, a finding that may result in a better understanding of memory loss and new methods to fight it in Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases.

2 Jul 2015

Neurologists evaluate application of smartphones in epilepsy care

While many people with epilepsy can control their seizures with medication, those unpredictable and involuntary changes in behavior and consciousness can be limiting for others. Neurologists writing in the International Journal of Epilepsy evaluated the application of smartphones in epilepsy care.

1 Jul 2015

Finding may pave way for much-needed treatments for people with epilepsy

An amino acid whose role in the body has been all but a mystery appears to act as a potent seizure inhibitor in mice, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins.

22 Jun 2015

Paediatric outpatient study compares effectiveness of three alternative treatments for type 1 diabetes

A Montréal research team, co-supervised by Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret from the IRCM and Dr. Laurent Legault from the Montreal Children's Hospital, undertook the first paediatric outpatient study to compare three alternative treatments for type 1 diabetes.

11 Jun 2015

Diagnosing brain lesions in children can be challenging, report Loyola physicians

Brain lesions in children can be especially challenging to diagnose, according to a report in the journal Frontiers in Neurology by a multidisciplinary team of Loyola University Medical Center physicians.'

10 Jun 2015

Duke Medicine scientists produce 3-D map of human brain stem using MRI technology

Scientists at Duke Medicine have produced a 3-D map of the human brain stem at an unprecedented level of detail using MRI technology.

4 Jun 2015

Upsher-Smith announces FDA approval of sNDA for Qudexy XR extended-release capsules

Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc. announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Qudexy XR (topiramate) extended-release capsules for use as initial monotherapy in patients two years of age and older who are experiencing partial-onset seizures (POS) or primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

2 Jun 2015

New insights on strategies to treat infants with seizures

New recommendations offer insights on strategies for treating infants with seizures. In an Epilepsia report, child neurologists who are members of the International League Against Epilepsy note that intervening at the time of a febrile seizure does not alter the risk for subsequent epilepsy, and there is no evidence to support the use of antiepileptic drugs for simple febrile seizures.

2 Jun 2015