Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

UCI researchers receive BRAIN Initiative grant to lead development of new brain mapping tool

Professors Xiangmin Xu and Rozanne Sandri-Goldin, in collaboration with Professors Bert Semler and Todd Holmes at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, were awarded a three-year, $4.3 million Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative grant.

26 Sep 2019

No evidence found for previously suspected warning signs of seizures

By studying the brain dynamics of 28 subjects with epilepsy, scientists demonstrated there is no evidence for a previously suspected warning sign for seizures known as "critical slowing down."

24 Sep 2019

Dogs can suffer from same autoimmune encephalitis as humans, research reveals

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that dogs can suffer from the same type of autoimmune encephalitis that people do. The finding could lead to better screening methods for diagnosis and possibly more effective treatments for canine encephalitis.

24 Sep 2019

New discovery may revolutionize treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered that the spreading of seizures through the brain can be suppressed depending on the amount of pressure within the brain, an important discovery that may revolutionize the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.

23 Sep 2019

How one family counters epilepsy and caregiver stress by giving back

For people with epilepsy, seizures affect almost every aspect of their lives. The seizures also affect their caregivers' lives, with impacts on physical health, emotional functioning, social relationships, employment and finances.

23 Sep 2019

Identification and management of depression in people with epilepsy to save lives

Depression is the most common psychiatric comorbidity in people with epilepsy. Clinical studies have found that 20% to 30% of people with epilepsy have depression; the incidence may be as high as 50% to 55% in people visiting hospital epilepsy centers.

21 Sep 2019

Anti-cancer protein promotes tumor resistance, shows study

Areas of solid tumors that have limited access to oxygen, a condition called hypoxia, are highly resilient against chemo and radiation therapy.

20 Sep 2019

Brain tumors hijack healthy neurons in order to grow

Scientists have discovered that brain tumors integrate themselves with the brain’s healthy neuronal network to support their growth.

19 Sep 2019

New uses for CBD in genetic brain disorder

A new study has revealed that cannabidiol can help people with a rare brain condition called Angelman syndrome to improve their behavioral traits and to control seizures.

19 Sep 2019

AAN recommends assessment of people aged 65 and older for memory problems

People with mild cognitive impairment have thinking and memory problems but usually do not know it because such problems are not severe enough to affect their daily activities.

19 Sep 2019

Cannabidiol may alleviate seizures and normalize brain rhythms in Angelman syndrome

A marijuana plant extract, also known as cannabidiol, is being commonly used to improve anxiety, sleep problems, pain, and many other neurological conditions.

18 Sep 2019

Researchers identify two groups of neurons related to Leigh Syndrome

Leigh Syndrome affects one in every 40,000 newborns and is produced by deficits in the mitochondria, which are in charge of providing the energy needed for cells to function correctly.

18 Sep 2019

Surgery crucial for people with drug-resistant epilepsy

Epilepsy is a chronic, central nervous system or neurological disorder wherein the brain activity becomes impaired, leading to seizures. In some cases, it leads to periods of unusual behavior, loss of awareness, or altered sensations.

12 Sep 2019

Research reveals new molecular mechanisms that contribute to plasticity of the adult brain

The team's findings describe for the first time the changes that take place in the genetic material of excitatory neurons in the hippocampus of adult mice when they activate.

12 Sep 2019

Engaging community pharmacists to improve access to care for people with epilepsy

The University of Washington's School of Pharmacy announced on Thursday, Sept. 12, a collaboration with global biopharmaceutical company UCB to improve access to care for people living with epilepsy.

12 Sep 2019

Brain changes may help track people most likely to develop dementia

Even before dementia diagnosis, people with mild cognitive impairment may have different changes in the brain depending on what type of dementia they have, according to a study published in the September 11, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Sep 2019

Study provides important insights into music processing by the brain

Scientists have observed how the human brain represents a familiar piece of music, according to research published in JNeurosci. Their results suggest that listening and remembering music involve different cognitive processes.

11 Sep 2019

Brain-computer interface: huge potential benefits and formidable challenges

A new Royal Society report called “iHuman: blurring lines between mind and machine” is for the first time systematically exploring whether it is “right” or not to use neural interfaces – machines implanted in or worn over the body to pick up or stimulate nervous activity in the brain or other parts of the nervous system.

11 Sep 2019

UH associate professor awarded NIH grant to test new treatment for epilepsy patients

University of Houston associate professor of biomedical engineering Nuri Ince, who pioneered a dramatic decrease in the time it takes to detect the seizure onset zone in the brain, has been awarded $2.3 million by the National Institutes of Health to expand his testing in a large number of adult and pediatric epilepsy cases.

10 Sep 2019

Higher levels of serotonin after a seizure linked to lower incidence of breathing problems

Could a chemical produced by the brain that regulates mood, sleep and breathing also be protective in people with epilepsy? New research has found that higher levels of serotonin in the blood after a seizure are linked to a lower incidence of seizure-related breathing problems called apneas, when a person temporarily stops breathing.

5 Sep 2019