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

New understanding of the brain’s relay station could change medical treatment for brain disorders

New research shows cells gather more data than once believed inside the thalamus, a relay station of sensory and motor abilities in the brain. That could change how medicine treats schizophrenia, epilepsy and other brain disorders.

30 Jul 2021

People with metabolic syndrome may be at higher risk for second stroke, death

People with larger waistlines, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome may be at higher risk for having a second stroke and even dying than people who do not have metabolic syndrome, according to a meta-analysis published in the July 28, 2021, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jul 2021

Foods high in flavonoids may lower risk of cognitive decline

A new study shows that people who eat a diet that includes at least half a serving per day of foods high in flavonoids like strawberries, oranges, peppers and apples may have a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline.

28 Jul 2021

Previously unknown brain repair process could be harnessed to treat seizures and epilepsy

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a previously unknown repair process in the brain that they hope could be harnessed and enhanced to treat seizure-related brain injuries.

23 Jul 2021

Can prior human seasonal coronavirus antibody response patterns predict SARS-CoV-2 inhibition?

A new study, recently released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, reports the intriguing finding that the cross-neutralizing antibodies elicited by human seasonal coronaviruses (sCoVs) show varying ability to prevent binding between the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen and its cognate receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

22 Jul 2021

Research sheds light on a new mechanism for inhibitory synapse specificity in the cortex

Researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have discovered that the cell adhesion protein IgSF11 determines the layer-specific synaptic connectivity of a distinct class of cortical interneurons.

15 Jul 2021

UCR scientists receive additional federal funding to boost research on brain injury

Earlier this year, Viji Santhakumar, an associate professor of molecular, cell and systems biology at the University of California, Riverside, received funding from the National Institute of Neurological Disaster and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to further pursue research on moderate concussive brain injury.

12 Jul 2021

Researchers develop normalized brain growth curve charts for children

In the United States, nearly every pediatric doctor's visit begins with three measurements: weight, height and head circumference. Compared to average growth charts of children across the country, established in the 1970s, a child's numbers can confirm typical development or provide a diagnostic baseline to assess deviations from the curve.

9 Jul 2021

Study uncovers mutations in Polycomb group gene as underlying cause of novel neurological disorder

A multi-institutional study has discovered spontaneous mutations in RNF2 (RING2) gene as the underlying cause of a novel neurological disorder.

8 Jul 2021

Biomarker discovery can open door to screening newborn babies for pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy

The door has finally opened on screening newborn babies for pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE), a severe inherited metabolic disorder. This screening promises to enable better and earlier treatment of the disease.

8 Jul 2021

Adults with ADHD at higher risk of many physical conditions, finds study

Adults with ADHD are at higher risk of a wide range of physical conditions, including nervous system, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and metabolic diseases, according to a large register-based study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

7 Jul 2021

IU researchers developing noninvasive brain stimulation technique to treat neurological disorders

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are developing a new, noninvasive brain stimulation technique to treat neurological disorders, including pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and more.

2 Jul 2021

Scientists discover genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of new neurodevelopmental syndrome

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and colleagues have demonstrated that variants in the SPTBN1 gene can alter neuronal architecture, dramatically affecting their function and leading to a rare, newly defined neurodevelopmental syndrome in children.

1 Jul 2021