Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a group of disorders marked by problems in the normal functioning of the brain. These problems can produce seizures, unusual body movements, a loss of consciousness or changes in consciousness, as well as mental problems or problems with the senses.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a condition that has been known to mankind since ancient times. It affects the brain to cause repeated convulsions or seizures - also called fits in common parlance. The word “epilepsy” comes from the Greek and means to be taken, seized or attacked.

Epilepsy Classification

Epilepsy Epidemiology

Epilepsy Pathophysiology

Epilepsy Seizure Types

Epilepsy Syndromes

Epilepsy Treatment

Epilepsy Legal Implications

Epilepsy in Children

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)

Catamenial Epilepsy

Catamenial Epilepsy Diagnosis and Treatment

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Can Stem Cells be Used to Treat Epilepsy?

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Early blood test could detect birth asphyxia

An early blood test could detect which babies deprived of oxygen at birth are at risk of serious neurodisabilities like cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

4 Aug 2020

FDA approves CBD oral solution for treatment of seizures related to tuberous sclerosis complex

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in patients one year of age and older.

31 Jul 2020

International researchers propose new classification system of seizures

Epilepsy is a wide-spread neurological disorder that affects around 50 million people worldwide. It is characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures, which are sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain.

31 Jul 2020

UOttawa's Faculty of Medicine awards 58 clinical research chairs to top clinician-scientists

The Faculty of Medicine has awarded 58 clinical research chairs to top clinician-scientists in a five-year, $40 million investment to drive clinical research excellence and enhance health and patient care.

30 Jul 2020

UT Southwestern Medical Center ranks among the top 50 hospitals

UT Southwestern Medical Center is the No. 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth – the nation's fourth-largest metro area – and ranks among the top 50 hospitals nationally in 10 specialties ranging from brain to heart care, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Hospitals report released today. Six of the specialties rank in the top 25.

28 Jul 2020

Study reveals molecular cause underlying rare genetic disorder

Virginia Tech scientists have revealed how a nonfunctioning version of an ordinary gene impairs brain structure and function. The findings help explain a genetic form of microcephaly -- a condition where babies' heads are small and grow more slowly than their peers.

27 Jul 2020

Pandemic to accelerate the adoption of technology-enabled care for epilepsy

The COVID-19 pandemic is a catalyst to accelerate the adoption of technology-enabled patient care for epilepsy, according to a new study published in Epilepsia.

24 Jul 2020

Study offers fundamental insights about sensory thalamic subnetworks

The thalamus is a "Grand Central Station" for sensory information coming to our brains. Almost every sight, sound, taste and touch we perceive travels to our brain's cortex via the thalamus.

23 Jul 2020

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures are often misdiagnosed as epilepsy and increase risk of death

One in four people who are tested for epilepsy do not have the disease but instead have a psychological condition called psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

22 Jul 2020

Young people with epilepsy report increase in seizures during lockdown

More seizures, more stress and appointments being cancelled are among the challenges faced by young people with epilepsy during the pandemic, the charity Young Epilepsy has found.

21 Jul 2020

Compound in pickled capers can directly regulate proteins required for bodily processes

A compound commonly found in pickled capers has been shown to activate proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity, and may even lead to future therapies for the treatment of epilepsy and abnormal heart rhythms.

14 Jul 2020

Newly discovered chemical compound shows potential to become treatment for brain disorders

Researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) discovered a novel chemical compound, which has the potential to became a new drug for the treatment of core symptoms of brain disorders like Down syndrome and autism.

11 Jul 2020

Scientists identify a new role for covalent linker in transmembrane ion channels

In the molecular-level world of ion channels - passageways through membranes that carry signals in a cell's environment and allow it to respond - researchers have debated about the role of a small piece of the channel called a linker, says computational biophysicist Jianhan Chen at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

10 Jul 2020

Clemson researcher receives DOD grant to explore cellular underpinnings of developmental disorder

College of Science associate professor and researcher David Feliciano has received a $667,000 grant from the Department of Defense to explore the cellular underpinnings of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a developmental disorder characterized by the growth of benign tumors throughout the body, most notably in the brain.

6 Jul 2020

New vitamin K-based drug eliminates medication-resistant epileptic seizures in mice

In the cover article of the June 11 issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, a team of researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, led by Sherine Chan, Ph.D., and James Chou, Ph.D., reports that a new vitamin K-based drug has proved effective in mouse models of medication-resistant seizures.

6 Jul 2020

Research reveals new genetic insights into how the brain folds

New research is helping unlock the mystery of how the brain folds as a baby develops in the womb - a process critical to healthy brain function.

1 Jul 2020

GIRK channel activator can provide potential treatments for brain disorders

Potassium channels play an important role in controlling the electrical activity of neurons in the brain.

1 Jul 2020

Researchers track brain receptor as it transmits or inhibits neural signals

For the first time, researchers in the lab of CSHL Professor Hiro Furukawa have been able to track each atom in the NMDA receptor, an important brain protein, as it transmits or inhibits neural signals. Critical for brain development and function, the receptor converts chemical messages between cells into electrical signals within a neuron.

30 Jun 2020

A data-rich atlas of the developing human brain

For the nascent brain of a human embryo to develop into the complex organ that controls human consciousness, a finely tuned sequence of genetic events has to take place; hundreds of genes are activated and deactivated in a precise symphony.

30 Jun 2020