Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Taking astrocytes seriously

By blowing gentle puffs of air onto a mouse's whiskers and watching how its brain reacts, scientists are discovering that a long-overlooked signaling system in the brain is crucial to our everyday activity.

17 May 2006

NYU pediatric neurosurgeon reports on 25 children with tuberous sclerosis

Sadly, none of the treatments for epilepsy - anti-seizure medications, a procedure called vagus nerve stimulation, a special diet - could quell the electrical storms in the young boy's brain.

8 May 2006

New approaches to genetic disease, based on cells' own ability to correct themselves

New approaches to genetic disease, based on cells' own ability to correct themselves, will be outlined today at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

8 May 2006

Visual word forming area (VWFA) of the cortex demonstrated to have an effect on word recognition

Humans have an uncanny ability to skim through text, instantly recognizing words by their shape--even though writing developed only about 6000 years ago--long after humans evolved. Thus, neuroscientists have hotly debated whether an area of the cortex called the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) is truly a specific and necessary area for recognizing words.

28 Apr 2006

Protein discovery opens up new therapeutic possibilities for epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases

UC Irvine researchers have found that a protein best known for building connections between nerve cells and muscle also plays a role in controlling brain cell activity.

23 Apr 2006

Researchers identify new disorder called cortical dysplasia-focal epilepsy syndrome

Researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Clinic for Special Children (CSC) in Strasburg, PA, have described a new childhood-onset disorder characterized by severe epilepsy and autistic traits, and identified its genetic basis.

11 Apr 2006

Large scale study shows success of epilepsy surgery

In one of the largest epilepsy surgery studies ever conducted, Mayo Clinic researchers have found that 81 percent of patients with intractable epilepsy become totally or nearly seizure-free six months following epilepsy surgery. Ten years later, 72 percent remained totally or nearly seizure-free.

11 Apr 2006

Zinc's role in Alzheimer's disease

Zinc may be a familiar dietary supplement to millions of health-conscious people, but it remains a mystery metal to scientists who study zinc's role in Alzheimer's disease, stroke and other health problems.

23 Mar 2006

Valproic acid may help slow the progression of dementia

Researchers have found that a common anticonvulsant drug improved cognitive function and appeared to restore nerve cells in the brains of patients with HIV-related dementia. The results of the Phase I clinical trial are published in the March issue of the scientific journal Neurology.

14 Mar 2006

New approach to preventing recurrent febrile seizures in vulnerable children

It's one of those unavoidable facts of life - kids get sick and have fevers. Usually, those elevated internal temperatures cause only temporary discomfort, but in some small children they spark convulsions called "febrile seizures."

13 Mar 2006

Penn researchers study link between potassium and sodium channels aiming at new treatments for neurological diseases

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered the mechanism that facilitates how two ion channels collaborate in the control of electrical signals in the brain.

9 Mar 2006

Cell-death mechanism linked to developmental and degenerative brain disorders

Conclusive evidence that neurodevelopmental disorders such as mental retardation and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and ataxias can be caused, at least in part, by specific gene defects that interfere with the electrical impulses of rapid-firing brain nerve cells called bursting neurons.

1 Mar 2006

Spinocerebellar ataxia and other neurodegenerative diseases might be treatable with drugs that alter the activity of potassium channels

For the first time, researchers have linked mutations in a gene that regulates how potassium enters cells to a neurodegenerative disease and to another disorder that causes mental retardation and coordination problems.

27 Feb 2006

Scientists can now predict memory of an event before it even happens

A team at UCL (University College London) can now tell how well memory will serve us before we have seen what we will remember.

27 Feb 2006

Research shows brain's ability to overcome pain and thirst

Researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered how the brain prioritises pain and thirst in order to survive - a mechanism that helps elite athletes to 'push through the pain barrier'.

30 Jan 2006

Astrocytes play a direct role in controlling blood flow in the brain - influencing Alzheimer's

New findings that long-overlooked brain cells play an important role in regulating blood flow in the brain call into question one of the basic assumptions underlying today's most sophisticated brain imaging techniques and could open a new frontier when it comes to understanding Alzheimer's disease.

6 Jan 2006

Researchers move closer to understanding the basis of a severe epilepsy and mental retardation

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine took a step closer to understanding the basis of a severe epilepsy and mental retardation syndrome with work published in the January 5, 2006 issue of the journal Neuron.

5 Jan 2006

UCLA examines disease-versus-disease interactions

The knowledge that one disease may prevent the onset of another is not new. For example, the discovery that cowpox vaccines can prevent smallpox dates back to 1798.

5 Jan 2006

Treatments for epilepsy compared

In a comprehensive analysis and mathematical model of the available scientific data, researchers at the University of York on behalf of the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom found that newer drugs used to treat the most common forms of epilepsy are more expensive than older drugs, but produce similar health benefits.

30 Dec 2005

Australian bionic ear pioneer awarded science medal

University of Melbourne Laureate Professorial Fellow and bionic ear pioneer Professor Graeme Clark has been awarded the 2006 Ian Wark Medal from the Australian Academy of Science.

15 Dec 2005

Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Taking astrocytes seriously

NYU pediatric neurosurgeon reports on 25 children with tuberous sclerosis

New approaches to genetic disease, based on cells' own ability to correct themselves

Visual word forming area (VWFA) of the cortex demonstrated to have an effect on word recognition

Protein discovery opens up new therapeutic possibilities for epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers identify new disorder called cortical dysplasia-focal epilepsy syndrome

Large scale study shows success of epilepsy surgery

Zinc's role in Alzheimer's disease

Valproic acid may help slow the progression of dementia

New approach to preventing recurrent febrile seizures in vulnerable children

Penn researchers study link between potassium and sodium channels aiming at new treatments for neurological diseases

Cell-death mechanism linked to developmental and degenerative brain disorders

Spinocerebellar ataxia and other neurodegenerative diseases might be treatable with drugs that alter the activity of potassium channels

Scientists can now predict memory of an event before it even happens

Research shows brain's ability to overcome pain and thirst

Astrocytes play a direct role in controlling blood flow in the brain - influencing Alzheimer's

Researchers move closer to understanding the basis of a severe epilepsy and mental retardation

UCLA examines disease-versus-disease interactions

Treatments for epilepsy compared

Australian bionic ear pioneer awarded science medal

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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