Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Melbourne Brain Centre to open on Monday

Melbourne will become a magnet for the world's best and brightest brain researchers after the official opening of the Melbourne Brain Centre at The University of Melbourne Parkville by the Premier Ted Baillieu and Federal MP Michael Danby on Monday.

19 Oct 2011

Surgery may be effective in difficult-to-treat epilepsy cases

A study published this week in the journal the Lancet involved 615 patients who were suffering from refractory focal epilepsy, a type that has proved difficult to treat, even with multiple medications.

17 Oct 2011

Virtual brain models for epilepsy and schizophrenia

Virtual brains modeling epilepsy and schizophrenia display less complexity among functional connections, and other differences compared to healthy brain models, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine report.

15 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: 'Killing' Medicaid; medicine for mentally ill; 'outrageous' veto of mammogram bill in Calif.

Even as it vigorously defends the constitutionality of the individual mandate, the Obama administration may be complicit in eviscerating Medicaid - and setting back the broader goal of ensuring that all Americans have access to quality health care.

15 Oct 2011

Faster cerebral cortex growth in infancy may lead to higher intelligence

New research suggests the growth rate of the brain's cerebral cortex in babies born prematurely may predict how well they are able to think, speak, plan and pay attention later in childhood. The research is published in the October 12, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Oct 2011

Action Medical Research announces grants to investigate conditions affecting babies, children

Action Medical Research - the leading UK-wide medical research charity dedicated to helping babies and children - has today announced grants worth more than £1.3 million for top researchers across the country.

13 Oct 2011

Mass. Medicaid waiver hits roadblock; N.Y. enrollment reaches 5 million

Politico reports that despite its health reform efforts, Massachusetts is having trouble getting the federal government to issue a waiver for Medicaid programs. The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing needs in New York.

13 Oct 2011

U of U researchers to investigate long-term effects of TBI in soldiers

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects many Americans: high school athletes, drivers and passengers in motor vehicle accidents, and victims of domestic violence, to name a few. Some of the most striking effects of brain injury are seen in our soldiers and veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Two University of Utah researchers are teaming up with the Department of Defense to investigate the long-term effects of TBI in these returning soldiers.

13 Oct 2011

AAN Foundation launches new PSA on finding cure for brain disease

With one in six people in the United States now affected by brain disease such as dementia, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, the American Academy of Neurology Foundation is marking its 20th anniversary with the launch of a new public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness about the need for more research to cure brain disease.

12 Oct 2011

Vertex announces availability of INCIVEK to treat hepatitis C in Canada

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that INCIVEK (telaprevir) tablets are now available in Canada for people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C with compensated liver disease, including cirrhosis.

11 Oct 2011

Leg-crossers more likely to have good recovery after severe stroke

People who are able to cross their legs soon after having a severe stroke appear to be more likely to have a good recovery compared to people who can't cross their legs.

11 Oct 2011

New insight into mechanisms of hippocampal rhythms

A research team from Berlin, Munich and Haifa has presented new findings concerning the function of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is important for memory formation.

7 Oct 2011

UCLA neuro-physicists discover optimal brain rhythm for changing synaptic strength

The brain learns through changes in the strength of its synapses -- the connections between neurons -- in response to stimuli. Now, in a discovery that challenges conventional wisdom on the brain mechanisms of learning, UCLA neuro-physicists have found there is an optimal brain "rhythm," or frequency, for changing synaptic strength. And further, like stations on a radio dial, each synapse is tuned to a different optimal frequency for learning.

4 Oct 2011

MR-guided focused ultrasound may effectively control essential tremor

In a presentation at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons today, University of Virginia neurosurgeon W. Jeffrey Elias, MD reported that preliminary results of a pilot clinical trial indicate that MR-guided focused ultrasound has the potential to safely and effectively control essential tremor (ET), a common neurological condition that affects 10 million Americans.

4 Oct 2011

Strong connection between preterm birth and risk of epilepsy

Being born prematurely may increase your risk of developing epilepsy as an adult, according to a new study published in the October 4, 2011, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Oct 2011

Vertex announces abstracts from hepatitis C program to be presented at The Liver Meeting

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that abstracts from its hepatitis C program, including two late-breaking posters from studies of INCIVEK (telaprevir) tablets and VX-222, were accepted for presentation at The Liver Meeting, the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in San Francisco, November 4-8, 2011.

1 Oct 2011

UCLA scientists create mouse model for autism

UCLA scientists have created a mouse model for autism that opens a window into the biological mechanisms that underlie the disease and offers a promising way to test new treatment approaches.

30 Sep 2011

Cincinnati Children's to conduct first medication clinical trial for pediatric migraine

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has received a $12 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct the first clinical trial to determine the medication of choice for preventing migraines in children and teens.

30 Sep 2011

Enrollment begins in Boston Scientific's vagal nerve stimulation trial for heart failure

Boston Scientific Corporation has enrolled the first patients in its NECTAR-HF (NEural Cardiac TherApy foR Heart Failure) clinical trial. NECTAR-HF is a prospective, randomized, international clinical feasibility study designed to assess preliminary safety and efficacy of chronic vagal nerve stimulation in heart failure patients.

30 Sep 2011