Seizure

An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain".

What is a Seizure?

Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. In the healthy brain, electrical and chemical signals are fired between nerves called neurons to drive the brain's ability to think, feel and send instructions to parts of the body, such as the muscles. Seizures occur when this electrical system in the brain malfunctions.

Epileptic Seizure Management

Epileptic Seizure Causes

Epileptic Seizure Diagnosis

Epileptic Seizure Symptoms

Latest Seizure News and Research

Overactive brain immune response linked to rare, severe genetic epilepsy

An overactive immune response in the brain may play a role in Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe genetic epilepsy that typically begins in infancy, according to Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

29 Jul 2026

Advancing Drug Safety Assessment With AI, Predictive Modeling, and Human-Relevant Data

James McDonagh discusses how AI and machine learning are transforming drug discovery and safety assessment, enhancing toxicology and decision-making processes.

27 Jul 2026

Compact genetic switch enables targeted gene therapy for epilepsy

Epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide, making it one of the most common neurological disorders.

23 Jul 2026

Short-term immunosuppressive therapy briefly restores autism-like brain changes in adult mice

A new mouse study led by UCLA Health suggests that inflammation during pregnancy can trigger autism-like changes in offspring, but also that those brain and behavior effects may be rapidly but temporarily reversible in adulthood with a short-term dose of the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin.

23 Jul 2026

New light-sheet imaging system tracks brain seizure dynamics in 3D

Seizures can race through the brain in seconds, making them difficult to capture in detail. To overcome this challenge, researchers have developed a new high-resolution light-sheet imaging system that is fast enough to image seizure propagation in the brain of a larval zebrafish in 3D.

21 Jul 2026

Tailored gene therapy dramatically reduces childhood epilepsy seizures in trial

SCN2A‑related developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) is a rare, severe form of childhood epilepsy and one of the most common causes of monogenic autism.

21 Jul 2026

Researchers identify new genetic pathway driving epilepsy and seizures

Researchers have uncovered a novel biological pathway that can lead to seizures when disrupted. The findings also provide a new approach to improve the diagnosis of epilepsy, for which a genetic cause cannot be found in about 50 % of individuals with the condition

16 Jul 2026

Brain’s immune cells play key role in maintaining stability of neuronal networks in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have discovered that microglia – the main immune cells of the brain – play a critical role in maintaining the stability of neuronal networks in Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jul 2026

EpilepsyGTx partners with ClearPoint Neuro to support targeted delivery of lead gene therapy in epilepsy

EpilepsyGTx, a biotechnology company developing cutting-edge gene therapies to treat refractory epilepsy, and ClearPoint Neuro ("ClearPoint"), a global therapy-enabling company offering precise navigation and delivery to the brain, today announced a partnership to support the targeted delivery of EpilepsyGTx's lead gene therapy candidate, EPY201, for focal refractory epilepsy (FRE).

From EpilepsyGTx 14 Jul 2026

Cannabidiol shows preclinical promise for anxiety, depression and cognition

A new meta-analysis suggests that CBD may improve emotional behavior and cognition in animal models, but researchers caution that its clinical benefits still need to be proven in humans.

1 Jul 2026

Hearing aids may lower dementia risk in adults with epilepsy and hearing loss

Adults with both epilepsy and hearing loss who use hearing aids may have a 23% lower risk of developing dementia than those who do not, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026.

26 Jun 2026

Open source tool automates data reanalysis to detect rare diseases

A newly developed open-source tool designed for rigorous reanalysis of genomic data is highly effective at detecting new rare disease diagnoses.

24 Jun 2026

New study identifies brain circuits behind spontaneous and voluntary laughter

Laughter is a universal social signal that connects us with others, but the brain regions underlying laughter are not well understood, in part because it's hard to elicit genuine laughter in the lab.

23 Jun 2026

BU professor to examine the role of postpartum hypertension on recurrent HDP risk

Samantha Parker Kelleher, along with researchers at BU School of Public Health and Boston Medical Center, will examine the role of high blood pressure during the postpartum period on the risk of developing recurrent hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.

11 Jun 2026

Living in a rural area may worsen epilepsy outcomes

A study reveals rural Americans with epilepsy face higher mortality and diagnostic gaps, emphasizing the need for improved healthcare access and resources.

8 Jun 2026

AI detects early warning signs of epilepsy without visible seizures

Epilepsy isn't always easy to diagnose. Seizures often don't occur during routine brain-wave recordings (EEGs), leaving doctors without the direct observation they need to make a clear diagnosis.

4 Jun 2026

Study links rural living to worse epilepsy health outcomes

For people with epilepsy, living in counties that are more rural was associated with poorer health outcomes than for people living in more urban counties, according to a study published June 3, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jun 2026

Apple Watch app detects seizures with 98% accuracy

The EpiWatch app shows high sensitivity in detecting tonic-clonic seizures in children and adults, potentially reducing SUDEP risk with timely alerts.

1 Jun 2026

Smartwatch seizure detection app may help reduce epilepsy-related deaths

In people with epilepsy, a new study has found a smartwatch application accurately detected tonic-clonic seizures, seizures with major convulsions, with a low rate of false alarms.

27 May 2026

How does the brain recognize new faces and places in milliseconds?

This Communications Biology study used intracranial EEG in 22 epilepsy patients to map how the human brain processes new images of faces and places within milliseconds.. It found that visual information flows from the occipital cortex through parallel dorsal and ventral pathways toward frontal and limbic regions, with distinct timing patterns for faces and places.

19 May 2026