Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Regular walking may ease Parkinson's symptoms

People with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease who regularly walk for exercise may improve their motor function, mood, tiredness, fitness and some aspects of thinking abilities, according to a study published in the July 2, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jul 2014

Exome sequencing improves diagnosis of mitochondrial disease

Use of exome sequencing improved the ability to identify the underlying gene mutations in patients with biochemically defined defects affecting multiple mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes (enzymes that are involved in basic energy production), according to a study in the July 2 issue of JAMA.

2 Jul 2014

Omega-3 PUFAs offer an affordable way to reduce effects of traumatic brain, spinal cord injuries

The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) found in seafood and marine oils called EPA and DHA may offer a simple, affordable way to reduce the effects of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries by decreasing inflammation and nerve cell damage.

30 Jun 2014

Light-sensitive molecule enables noninvasive silencing of neurons

Optogenetics, a technology that allows scientists to control brain activity by shining light on neurons, relies on light-sensitive proteins that can suppress or stimulate electrical signals within cells. This technique requires a light source to be implanted in the brain, where it can reach the cells to be controlled.

30 Jun 2014

Researchers give new, unprecedented 3-D view of most important brain receptors

Researchers with Oregon Health & Science University's Vollum Institute have given science a new and unprecedented 3-D view of one of the most important receptors in the brain - a receptor that allows us to learn and remember, and whose dysfunction is involved in a wide range of neurological diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia and depression.

28 Jun 2014

Alaska to be hit hard with hospital infection penalties

Elsewhere, medical marijuana's usefulness in treating pain is questioned after New York lawmakers legalized it.

27 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 27, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on an HHS announcement detailing some of the marketplace enrollment plans for next fall.

27 Jun 2014

GW clinical trial aims to identify novel modalities to reduce seizures in MTLE patients

A first-of-its-kind clinical trial at the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates employs low-frequency deep brain stimulation to potentially help reduce epileptic seizures in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) - the most common type of focal epilepsy that often necessitates surgical resection of the temporal lobe, risking memory function.

26 Jun 2014

Veterans with traumatic brain injury more likely to develop dementia in later life

Older veterans who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are 60 percent more likely to later develop dementia than veterans without TBI, according to a study published in the June 25, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 Jun 2014

New discovery reveals relationship between certain proteins and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

New structures discovered within cilia show a relationship between certain proteins and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. The discovery, made at the University of Minnesota, was named paper of the week in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and sheds new light on the microstructure of cilia.

25 Jun 2014

N.Y. lawmakers reach medical marijuana deal

The agreement would allow doctors to prescribe it for a half-dozen medical conditions, but some lawmakers say the deal was more limited than they had hoped.

21 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 20, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new poll of showing a majority of those signing up for marketplace plans had been uninsured before and the Obama administration's decision to extend marriage benefits, including family leave, to same-sex couples.

20 Jun 2014

Neurosurgeons implant new type of electrical stimulator to control seizures

On June 18, neurosurgeons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham implanted a new type of electrical stimulator to control seizures in patients with difficult-to-control epilepsy.

20 Jun 2014

People with muscle diseases may benefit more from group doctor visits

A new study suggests that people with muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophies may benefit more from group doctor visits than individual appointments. The study is published in the June 18, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Jun 2014

Scientists advise caution with regard to artificial insemination method

Mitochondria are cell organelles located within animal and human cells. They produce energy for the organism, possess their own genetic material - mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) - and are transmitted exclusively by the mother. Depending on their activity and tasks, different numbers of mitochondria are present in a cell - usually a few hundred to a thousand per body cell.

18 Jun 2014

State highlights: State retiree benefit shortfalls; health data claims and cost

A selection of health policy stories from California, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, Virginia, Iowa, Florida, Missouri, Washington state, Connecticut, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee.

18 Jun 2014

International researchers discover genetic component of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy

An international team of researchers has discovered a significant genetic component of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE), the most common form of epilepsy.

17 Jun 2014

UK’s pace of decline in mortality among children and young adults falls behind EU15+ average

The UK has failed to match the gains made in reducing deaths among children and young adults by 17 other high-income countries in the European Union, Australia, Canada, and Norway (EU15+) in the 38 years since 1970.

13 Jun 2014

2 medications equally effective in treating major epileptic brain seizures in children

A recently published clinical study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has answered an urgent question that long puzzled ER pediatricians: Is the drug lorazepam really safer and more effective than diazepam - the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medication as first line therapy most often used by emergency room doctors to control major epileptic seizures in children?

13 Jun 2014

New study show direct link between depression and medication nonadherence

A new study led by Alan B. Ettinger, M.D., M.B.A., Director of the Epilepsy Center at Neurological Surgery, P.C., has found that many patients who fail to take their antiseizure medications are suffering from depression.

12 Jun 2014