Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

New findings challenge one of the established views of how nerve cells communicate with one another

Every time we move, feel emotions, think or remember, the nerve cells, or neurons, in our body transmit messages to one another via chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Within neurons are tiny organelles called synaptic vesicles that sequester neurotransmitters and release them when needed into the synapse, or space between nerve cells, where the chemical signal is transmitted to other neurons.

16 Feb 2005

Bionomics goes for aggressive strategy in 2005

Australian biotech, Bionomics gave an investor presentation in Melbourne on 2 February 2005 and outlined a bolder, more aggressive strategy. There are many Australian biotech companies with big aspirations.

13 Feb 2005

Key insight into the process of normal synapse development may lead to improved treatment of conditions such as drug addiction and epilepsy

Communication in the brain travels from one nerve cell to another through critical connections called synapses. These neuron-to-neuron junctions form early in brain development, and their construction was thought to be guided by the nerve cells themselves.

13 Feb 2005

Atkins diet may be beneficial for people with epilepsy

Imagine that your child with epilepsy could have seizures less frequently, by eating more protein and less carbs. The first comprehensive review of possible dietary treatments of epilepsy has recently been published.

31 Jan 2005

Early seizures after surgery for epilepsy predict more seizures

Current understanding of seizures in the weeks just after epilepsy surgery is that they are likely to be temporary, probably due to swelling or minor trauma suffered by the brain during the operation.

24 Jan 2005

Two minutes of magnetic stimulation can change your brain for an hour

A couple of minutes is all it takes to ‘knock out’ bits of your brain for an hour, according to a new study by a University College London (UCL) team.

19 Jan 2005

Anti-seizure drugs slow aging in roundworms

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that a class of anti-seizure medications slows the rate of aging in roundworms. The worms, when exposed to drugs used to treat epilepsy in humans, lived longer and retained youthful functions longer than normal.

17 Jan 2005

Investigation of possible link between migraine and a common heart defect, called a patent foramen ovale (PFO)

Doctors have received approval to investigate the possible link between migraine headache and a common heart defect, called a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which research indicates is prevalent in up to 25% of the general population or 15 million people in the UK.

16 Jan 2005

Antibiotics protect nerves in mice by turning on genes

A family of antibiotics that includes penicillin may help prevent nerve damage and death in a wide variety of neurological diseases, including Lou Gehrig's disease, dementia, stroke, and epilepsy, Johns Hopkins researchers have found.

6 Jan 2005

New genetic clues provide better understanding of epilepsy

Two specific areas in chromosome 7 and chromosome 16 have been associated with photosensitivity, an epilepsy-related trait, by a team of European scientists in the January issue of Human Molecular Genetics.

5 Jan 2005

May soon be possible to identify people at risk and even to treat a heart problem with a drug that works on the brain

Sudden cardiac death from emotional stress may be triggered by uneven signals from the brain to the heart, according to a study by University College London (UCL) scientists published in the January issue of Brain.

23 Dec 2004

Drivers with epilepsy are on the road again

As a result of a worldwide cooperative movement, the absolute driving ban for people with epilepsy (PWE) has been lifted in Japan. Since 1960, people who have epilepsy have been banned from driving in Japan.

22 Dec 2004

Pacemakers could play a future role in protecting epilepsy patients

Results of a UK study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlight how interruptions to the heart’s rhythm is an under-reported consequence of epileptic seizures, and that the use of cardiac pacemakers by some epilepsy patients could play a future role in protecting against sudden unexplained death.

20 Dec 2004

The way the movies represent amnesia is profoundly misleading

Analyzing a host of movies from the silent era up to the present day, the paper traces a number of regular misconceptions about the condition.

20 Dec 2004

Neurobiologists distinguish in unprecedented detail the patterns of brain activity

Using hairlike microelectrodes and computer analysis, neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center have demonstrated that they can see the detailed instant-to-instant electrical "brainscape" of neural activity across a living brain.

8 Dec 2004

Prolonged abstinence, no visual problems in patients taking GVG for meth/cocaine abuse

A second, small clinical trial of a proposed addiction treatment led by investigators at NYU School of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory has produced favorable results in the treatment of long-term addiction to methamphetamine and/or cocaine, with no visual side effects in any of the 30 patients enrolled.

18 Nov 2004

Australian alliance to commercialise new genetic tests for epilepsy

Bionomics Limited and Genetic Technologies Limited have formed a strategic alliance to commercialise new genetic tests for epilepsy. These new diagnostic tools will enable earlier diagnosis, more precise treatment and better overall outcomes for those suffering from inherited forms of epilepsy.

8 Nov 2004

alpha4 may prove to be useful target for smoking addiction therapies

Nicotine is responsible for more than four million smoking-related deaths each year. Yet people still smoke. Why? One reason is the stranglehold of addiction, started when nicotine enhances the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine

4 Nov 2004

The Royal Society of Medicine Press has published new Primary Care Guidelines for the Management of Females with Epilepsy

These guidelines were produced following a multidisciplinary consensus meeting of epilepsy experts and cover such topics as the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, preconception counselling and the management of epilepsy during and after pregnancy.

3 Nov 2004

Diet which mimics the effects of starvation may be started as an outpatient treatment for children with epilepsy

Results from a Mayo Clinic study that analyzed medical records of epilepsy patients suggest a ketogenic diet, which mimics the effects of starvation, can be successfully implemented with children on an outpatient basis.

21 Oct 2004

Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

New findings challenge one of the established views of how nerve cells communicate with one another

Bionomics goes for aggressive strategy in 2005

Key insight into the process of normal synapse development may lead to improved treatment of conditions such as drug addiction and epilepsy

Atkins diet may be beneficial for people with epilepsy

Early seizures after surgery for epilepsy predict more seizures

Two minutes of magnetic stimulation can change your brain for an hour

Anti-seizure drugs slow aging in roundworms

Investigation of possible link between migraine and a common heart defect, called a patent foramen ovale (PFO)

Antibiotics protect nerves in mice by turning on genes

New genetic clues provide better understanding of epilepsy

May soon be possible to identify people at risk and even to treat a heart problem with a drug that works on the brain

Drivers with epilepsy are on the road again

Pacemakers could play a future role in protecting epilepsy patients

The way the movies represent amnesia is profoundly misleading

Neurobiologists distinguish in unprecedented detail the patterns of brain activity

Prolonged abstinence, no visual problems in patients taking GVG for meth/cocaine abuse

Australian alliance to commercialise new genetic tests for epilepsy

alpha4 may prove to be useful target for smoking addiction therapies

The Royal Society of Medicine Press has published new Primary Care Guidelines for the Management of Females with Epilepsy

Diet which mimics the effects of starvation may be started as an outpatient treatment for children with epilepsy

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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