Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Combining EEG and MRI could expand ways of understanding ALS

Our brains function by electrical and chemical signaling. Recording brain wave patterns can be very helpful in conditions like epilepsy, but the potential of this inexpensive and easily applied technology has not been fully recognized.

28 Nov 2017

Research findings will help identify genetic causes of brain disorders

New findings will help to identify the genetic causes of brain disorders: researchers at the Universities of Basel, Bonn and Cologne have presented a systematic catalog of specific variable locations in the genome that influence gene activity in the human hippocampus, as they report in the journal Nature Communications.

27 Nov 2017

Virtual reality training may be effective alternative to standard therapy after stroke

Using virtual reality therapy to improve arm and hand movement after a stroke is equally as effective as regular therapy, according to a study published in the November 15, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Nov 2017

Parkinson's disease will soon become looming pandemic, research reveals

New research shows that the number of people with Parkinson's disease will soon grow to pandemic proportions. In a commentary appearing today in the journal JAMA Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center neurologist Ray Dorsey, M.D. and Bastiaan Bloem, M.D., Ph.D., with Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, argue that the medical community must be mobilized to respond to this impending public health threat.

13 Nov 2017

Advances in genetic and stem cell techniques help identify therapeutic targets for neurological disorders

Research released today highlights advances in the use of CRISPR-Cas9 and human induced pluripotent stem cell technologies to identify novel therapeutic targets for neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and addiction.

13 Nov 2017

Researchers make breakthrough in finding possible therapeutic fix for autism, intellectual disability

A breakthrough in finding the mechanism and a possible therapeutic fix for autism and intellectual disability has been made by a University of Nebraska Medical Center researcher and his team at the Munroe-Meyer Institute.

10 Nov 2017

Scientists pinpoint new wake-promoting neurons in the brain

Scientists have identified an additional group of cells in the brain responsible for keeping us awake: the supramammillary nucleus, part of the caudal hypothalamus.

10 Nov 2017

Human brain organoids in the making amidst ethical concerns

Scientists from Vienna have worked for four years and finally come up with a small blob of human brain tissue that has been created from stem cells. These human brain organoids as they are called, are capable of pulsing with electrical activity and also create new nerve cells or neurons.

8 Nov 2017

Individual neurons slow down when we are sleep deprived, study finds

It has been established that sleep deprivation slows down our reaction time, but it has been unclear exactly how the lack of sleep affects brain activity and subsequent behavior.

8 Nov 2017

Major labeling inaccuracies in cannabidiol extract products

There is a growing demand among consumers for marijuana containing products supposedly providing several health benefits in a range od diseases and conditions. This has spawned thousands of websites that are selling these products online. Many of these contain mislabeled cannabidiol (CBD) or a compound found in cannabis or marijuana finds a new study.

7 Nov 2017

Study finds mislabeling in nearly 70% of cannabidiol products sold online

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the medicinal use of Cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical that naturally occurs the in cannabis plant (aka "marijuana"). There is interest in CBD as a medicine because there is some evidence that it has medical benefits,

7 Nov 2017

Mislabeling of cannabidiol products poses safety and efficacy issues for consumers

Growing consumer demand for cannabis-related products purported to have medicinal benefits has created an environment where people are using mislabeled cannabidiol products sold online.

7 Nov 2017

Sleepless nights lead to sluggish brain activity

A new study has shown that some brain cells actually slow down if a person has not got adequate sleep at night. This leads to periods of mental lapses. Researchers of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Tel Aviv University have proven this in their published study that appeared in the journal Nature Medicine online this Monday (6th of November 2017).

6 Nov 2017

Gelatin promotes faster healing of the blood brain barrier after injury

Researchers already know that gelatin-covered electrode implants cause less damage to brain tissue than electrodes with no gelatin coating. Researchers at the Neuronano Research Centre at Lund University in Sweden have now shown that microglia, the brain's cleansing cells, and the enzymes that the cells use in the cleaning process, change in the presence of gelatin.

6 Nov 2017

Scientists identify eight new genes involved in epileptic encephalopathy

Approximately 30 per cent of patients with epilepsy do not respond to anti-epileptic drugs. In these cases, all neurologists can do is attempt to find the right combination of medication through trial and error.

6 Nov 2017

Inflammation in mid-life may be linked to brain shrinkage decades later

People who have biomarkers tied to inflammation in their blood in their 40s and 50s may have more brain shrinkage decades later than people without the biomarkers, according to a study published in the November 1, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The brain cell loss was found especially in areas of the brain that are affected by Alzheimer's disease.

2 Nov 2017

Researchers compile biggest recorded collection of families with epilepsy

Researchers from Swansea University Medical School have joined up with five other centers from around the world to compile the biggest recorded collection of families with forms of epilepsy where genetics may play a part in the recurring feature of the condition.

2 Nov 2017

Cleveland Clinic researchers win grants to study ethical issues involving brain surgery

The NIH BRAIN Initiative has awarded two Cleveland Clinic researchers grants to study ethical issues involving brain surgery, as part of the first neuroethics grants awarded by the initiative.

31 Oct 2017

Wristband devices may improve detection and characterization of epileptic seizures

New research published in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy, indicates that wristband devices may improve the detection and characterization of seizures in patients with epilepsy.

30 Oct 2017

Pilot study: Focused ultrasound shows potential for managing Parkinson's tremor

An initial test to determine if a scalpel-free form of brain surgery can reduce tremor caused by Parkinson's disease has produced encouraging results. Further research is warranted, the researchers conclude in a paper published today by the scientific journal JAMA Neurology.

30 Oct 2017