Epilepsy Research News

October 3, 2023

Top Headlines

Revolutionizing Brain Monitoring and Stimulation With Thin-Film Neural Electrodes

Sep. 14, 2023 — Flexible thin-film electrodes placed directly on brain tissue show promise for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. Thanks to an innovative yet straightforward design, these durable electrodes ...

Largest Genetic Study of Epilepsy to Date Provides New Insights on Why Epilepsy Develops and Potential Treatments

Aug. 31, 2023 — The largest genetic study of its kind has discovered specific changes in our DNA that increase the risk of developing epilepsy and may inform the development of new ...

The Mozart Effect Myth: Listening to Music Does Not Help Against Epilepsy

Mar. 6, 2023 — Over the past fifty years, there have been remarkable claims about the effects of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music. Reports about alleged symptom-alleviating effects of listening to Mozart's Sonata KV448 in epilepsy attracted a lot of public ...

Seizures Can Be Predicted More Than 30 Minutes Before Onset in Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Mar. 1, 2023 — Seizures can be predicted more than 30 minutes before onset in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, opening the door to a therapy using electrodes that could be activated to prevent seizures from ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:57pm EDT

Exposure to Antiseizure Medications Does Not Harm Neurological Development in Young Children

July 19, 2023 — Young children who were exposed to commonly-prescribed anti-seizure medications in utero do not have worse neurodevelopmental outcomes than children ...

Novel Deep Brain Simulation Approach for Treating Drug-Refractory Epilepsy

Mar. 6, 2023 — A research team proposes an innovative sequential narrow-field deep brain stimulation procedure to treat intractable ...

Study Identifies Cause for Mysterious Cases of Epilepsy in Children

Jan. 12, 2023 — An international consortium has identified at least some of the genetic drivers of a mysterious form of pediatric ...

Study Identifies Neuronal Basis of Impaired Consciousness in 'Absence' Epilepsy

Jan. 10, 2023 — Imagine slipping in and out of consciousness hundreds of times per day, staying awake the whole time but having no sense of awareness during these ...

Can Diet Combined With Drugs Reduce Seizures?

Jan. 4, 2023 — Following a modified Atkins diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates plus taking medication may reduce seizures in people with tough-to-treat epilepsy, according to a new ...

Researchers Discover Genetic Variant Associated With Earlier Onset Childhood Epilepsy

Nov. 30, 2022 — Researchers have discovered a specific genetic variant in SCN1A, the most common genetic epilepsy, that leads to an earlier onset of epilepsy, with ...

New Tools Map Seizures, Improve Epilepsy Treatment

Nov. 29, 2022 — Two new models could solve a problem that's long frustrated millions of people with epilepsy and the doctors who treat them: how to find precisely where seizures originate to treat exactly that part ...

Neuroscientists Discover a New Drug Candidate for Treating Epilepsy

Nov. 23, 2022 — Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is one of the most common types of epilepsy worldwide. Although symptomatic medications are available, one-third of TLE patients remain unresponsive to current treatment, ...

Researchers Take Key Step Toward Improving Lives of People With Epilepsy

Nov. 28, 2022 — Researchers have taken a key step toward improving the lives of patients with epilepsy by developing a sensor system for quickly testing their saliva to see if they have the correct level of ...

Risk of Seizures Is Higher After COVID-19 Than After Influenza, Study Finds

Nov. 16, 2022 — People who have a COVID-19 infection are more likely to develop seizures or epilepsy within the next six months than people who have an influenza infection, according to a new ...

Earlier Headlines

Summaries
Headlines

Children With Severe Form of Epilepsy Should Receive Flu Vaccine Due to High Seizure Risk After Influenza Infection, Study Finds

Nov. 16, 2022 — Children with a severe form of epilepsy should be vaccinated against the flu due to the high risk of seizures being triggered by an influenza infection, according to a new ...

An Animal Model of West Syndrome Exhibits a Progressive Increase in Epileptic Spasms and Learning and Memory Deficits

Nov. 3, 2022 — Researchers have provided the first demonstration of a progressive increase in epileptic spasms along with learning and memory deficits in an animal model of this ...

Gene Therapy Targeting Overactive Brain Cells Could Treat Neurological Disorders

Nov. 3, 2022 — A new treatment for neurological and psychiatric diseases, that works by reducing the excitability of overactive brain cells, has been ...

Functional, Nonepileptic Seizures Show Structural Abnormalities in Brain Scans, Study Shows

Oct. 25, 2022 — Functional seizures not caused by epilepsy are associated with structural changes in the brain that can be seen using MRI, a new study shows. Scientist have long understood the nonepileptic seizures ...

Do People Who Undergo Bariatric Surgery Have a Higher Risk of Epilepsy?

Sep. 29, 2022 — People who have had bariatric surgery may have an increased risk of developing epilepsy, according to a new ...

AI Algorithm That Detects Brain Abnormalities Could Help Cure Epilepsy

Aug. 12, 2022 — An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can detect subtle brain abnormalities which cause epileptic seizures has been ...

Brain Signal Irregularity May Provide Clues to Understanding Epileptic Process

June 14, 2022 — Researchers propose a new method to differentiate signals from the epileptic focus from those recorded in other parts of the brain without the presence of an epileptic seizure. This technique may ...

Breakthrough Tech Enables Seizure Localization in Minutes

May 12, 2022 — New research introduces a novel network analysis technology that uses minimally invasive resting state electrophysiological recordings to localize seizure onset brain regions and predict seizure ...

Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Not Linked to Epilepsy in Children

May 12, 2022 — A new study suggests that antidepressant use by mothers during the first trimester of pregnancy does not increase the chances of epilepsy and seizures in ...

Some Shunts Used After Epilepsy Surgery May Risk Brain Shifting and Chronic Headaches

May 11, 2022 — A new study associates some types of shunts used after epilepsy surgery with brains shifting toward the side of the ...

Whole-Brain Preclinical Study Illuminates How Epileptic Seizures Originate

Apr. 20, 2022 — New evidence from a zebrafish model of epilepsy may help resolve a debate into how seizures originate, according to investigators. The findings may also be useful in the discovery and development of ...

Scientists Identify Novel Approach to Preventing Seizures

Apr. 14, 2022 — Scientists have announced a significant advance in our understanding of epilepsy, as they have identified a potential method of preventing damaging seizure activity. Brain cells are nourished by an ...

Some Types of Epilepsy May Be Associated With Worse Quality of Life

Apr. 6, 2022 — A new study suggests that people with epilepsy associated with head injuries, especially the type not well controlled by medication, are more likely to have other health conditions like depression, ...

People With Epilepsy Live Shorter Lives

Apr. 5, 2022 — On average, people with epilepsy live 10-12 years fewer than those who do not have the condition. Excess mortality is particularly pronounced among people with epilepsy and mental ...

Newborn Cells in the Epileptic Brain Provide a Potential Target for Treatment

Apr. 5, 2022 — Scientists presents evidence that adults can generate new brain cells, and that this process is dramatically altered in patients with long-term epilepsy. The study details the presence of newborn ...

Researchers Redefine the Mechanisms of Dravet Syndrome

Mar. 29, 2022 — Researchers have found that dysfunction in an important cell subtype in the brain's neuronal network contribute to chronic symptoms in the neurodevelopmental disorder Dravet ...

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Lowers Costs of Care for Children With Uncontrolled Epilepsy

Mar. 25, 2022 — A new study has examined a population of pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. For these patients, the study found that the patients who received vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), when used ...

Limiting Energy in Neurons Exacerbates Epilepsy

Mar. 24, 2022 — Epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders, is characterized by the spontaneous repetition of seizures caused by the hyperactivity of a group of neurons in the brain. Could we therefore ...

Emotion, Stress Cues in Social Media Posts Might Be Early Warnings in Epilepsy Deaths

Mar. 22, 2022 — A new study from an international team of researchers demonstrates that social media could be used to detect behaviors preceding sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), the leading cause of ...

Team Identifies Compound With Potent Antiseizure Effects

Mar. 22, 2022 — Researchers studying epileptic seizures of the temporal lobe -- the most common type of epilepsy -- discovered a compound that reduces seizures in the hippocampus, a brain region where many such ...

Wednesday, November 16, 2022