Seizure News and Research

Latest Seizure News and Research

Breastfeeding while taking epilepsy drugs may not affect child's IQ

New research from the Emory University School of Medicine offers reassurance for nursing mothers with epilepsy. According to a study published in the November 24 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, breastfeeding a baby while taking a seizure medication may have no harmful effect on the child's IQ later in life.

24 Nov 2010

Fake pot now illegal

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had to resort to its emergency powers this Wednesday to ban K2 and other “fake pot” products that mimic the effects of marijuana. As of now it is illegal to possess or sell the five chemicals used to make the products for at least one year. The agency and the Department of Health and Human Services will further debate whether the chemicals should be permanently added to the federal list of controlled substances considered unsafe, highly abused and without medical use.

24 Nov 2010

Plant-derived bioscavenger protects against pesticide and nerve agent organophosphate poisoning

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across the narrow cleft separating one neuron from another or between neurons and their target cells. Of the many kinds of molecules involved in this lively chemical symposium, acetylcholine is among the most critical, performing a host of functions in the central and peripheral nervous system.

24 Nov 2010

NC family hopes to win Pepsi Refresh Project grant to fund research for Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood

A Rolesville, NC family is hoping to win the Pepsi Refresh Project that could help to find a cure for a rare neurological disorder for which there is no current cure. Matthew Wuchich, age 3, was diagnosed with Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood or AHC when he was 18 months old. Winning the grant is important to the family and to others with the disease since rare diseases often are overlooked by more common ailments.

23 Nov 2010

Health literacy leads to less hospitalization for heart failure

Being able to read and understand words like anemia, hormones and seizure means a patient with heart failure may be less likely to be hospitalized, according to a new study from Emory University School of Medicine. Findings will be presented Nov. 17 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in Chicago.

18 Nov 2010

Clinical trial shows dalfampridine tablets improve walking ability in MS patients

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that data from the second of two pivotal dalfampridine extended release tablets Phase 3 clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS) were published in the October 2010 edition of Annals of Neurology.

18 Nov 2010

FDA warns manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned four companies that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an "unsafe food additive" and said that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law.

18 Nov 2010

Innovative neural probe senses and stimulates individual brain cells

Imec, together with its partners within the European FP6 Program NeuroProbes, has created a new neural probe enabling electrical and chemical recording and stimulation of single neurons in the brain. Applications of the new technology are vast, ranging from tools for fundamental research on the functioning of the brain, to instruments for more precise diagnosis of brain seizures before brain-surgery.

17 Nov 2010

Cardiac surgery leads to stroke, seizure and neurological complications: Report

Strokes, seizures and other neurological complications related to heart surgery account for "considerable morbidity and mortality," Loyola University Health System neurologists report in the November issue of the journal Hospital Practice.

17 Nov 2010

Study reveals true effects of malaria on African generations

Almost a third of cerebral malaria survivors developed epilepsy or other behavioral disorders in the most comprehensive study to date of the disease in African children, solidifying the link between malaria and neuropsychiatric disorders that affect hundreds of thousands of children.

17 Nov 2010

Neurologic complications remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality after heart surgeries

16 Nov 2010

Scientists create functional neurons to study ASD development

Using induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with Rett syndrome, scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created functional neurons that provide the first human cellular model for studying the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and could be used as a tool for drug screening, diagnosis and personalized treatment.

12 Nov 2010

Fake antimalarial medications uncovered across Ghana

Substandard and counterfeit versions of thirteen key antimalarial medicines were uncovered in multiple locations across Ghana by the Medicines Quality Monitoring surveillance program. Set up by the Ghana Food and Drugs Board (FDB) in collaboration with the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the program samples antimalarials across the public and private sectors.

9 Nov 2010

GBS meningitis in infants still very serious

Although now less frequent because of preventive antibiotics, meningitis caused by group B streptococcal (GBS) bacteria is still a serious illness causing a high rate of death and severe complications in infants, reports a study in the November issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

9 Nov 2010

Sudden epilepsy death explained

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a condition that kills about 150 Australians a year. Now researchers have discovered the reasons behind such deaths. The study was conducted by scientists at the Centenary Institute at the University of Sydney who looked at blood samples taken from epilepsy suffers who had died suddenly and found that there were genetic faults in the heart and brain.

7 Nov 2010

Exposure to several AEDs in the womb negatively affect child's neurodevelopment

A large population-based study revealed that multiple antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used by pregnant women to control seizures may cause poor school performance in their teenagers. The research team from Karolinska University Hospital and the University of Lund in Sweden confirmed that exposure to AEDs in utero may have a negative effect on neurodevelopment.

4 Nov 2010

Afinitor tablets decrease size of SEGA associated with tuberous sclerosis

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) today published a study that found patients taking Afinitor (everolimus) tablets experienced a decrease in the size of their subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), a benign brain tumor associated with tuberous sclerosis (TS).

4 Nov 2010

New simple blood test may help diagnose Niemann-Pick type C disease

A fatal genetic disorder that frequently takes years to diagnose may soon be detectable with a simple blood test, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report this week in Simple blood test may diagnose deadly Niemann-Pick type C disease.

4 Nov 2010

OMJPI enters agreement with Watson to distribute generic version of CONCERTA tablets

Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced it has entered into a supply and distribution agreement with Watson Laboratories, Inc. to distribute an authorized generic version of CONCERTA (methylphenidate HCl extended-release tablets).

3 Nov 2010

FDA approves cancer drug Afinitor for treatment of rare genetic disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the cancer drug Afinitor (everolimus) on Friday to treat patients with subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) associated with tuberous sclerosis (TS), a rare genetic disorder. This approval was for treatments of SEGA that can not be treated with surgery.

1 Nov 2010