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UrduNo matter where you are in the world, the 2021 AAN Annual Meeting is one click away. Journalists can now register to attend the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) being held virtually April 17-22, 2021. The AAN Annual Meeting is the world’s largest gathering of neurologists who come together to share the latest advances in neurologic research.
Tag: Epilepsy
The Kilimanjaro Epilepsy Awareness Challenge: One man, one mountain, one message
In much of Africa, epilepsy is believed to be caused by evil spirits or curses. Kenyan Fredrick Beuchi is trying to spread the word that epilepsy is a medical condition that can be treated. His latest project to raise awareness: Climb Africa’s highest mountain.
Minimally-Invasive Imaging and Laser Surgery Solve Elusive Epilepsy
When doctors couldn’t pinpoint the location of Giorgia’s seizures, they doubled down, using innovative tools to target and treat her epilepsy.
Is this your brain on Mozart? Music, seizures, and epilepsy
A recent one-year study found a 35% decrease in seizure frequency in people with epilepsy who listened to an excerpt of Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos. Research in animal models also suggests that music has multiple effects on the brain.
Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins Medicine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.
Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins Medicine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.
Ketogenic diets in low-resource settings: Experience in Zambia
More than 75 countries now have at least one ketogenic diet center for the treatment of epilepsy, but most centers are located in high-resource countries. How can lower-income countries establish the ketogenic diet, and what considerations are they facing?
Food for thought: The ketogenic diet as epilepsy treatment
Treating epilepsy with diet is not a new concept, but it’s gained popularity and credibility in the past 25 years.
FOCAL EPILEPSY OFTEN OVERLOOKED
Having subtler symptoms, a form of epilepsy that affects only one part of the brain often goes undiagnosed long enough to cause unexpected seizures that contribute to car crashes, a new study finds.
Better Outcomes after Epilepsy Surgery in Kids with Poor Seizure Control
Epilepsy surgery in children with refractory epilepsy, who have poor seizure control with medications, results in better outcomes, according to a study published in the journal Neurosurgery.
College of Medicine researcher makes novel discoveries in preventing epileptic seizures
A team of researchers from the Florida State University College of Medicine has found that an amino acid produced by the brain could play a crucial role in preventing a type of epileptic seizure.
Inhibiting epileptic activity in the brain
A new study shows that a protein — called DUSP4 — was increased in healthy brain tissue directly adjacent to epileptic tissue. The research suggests that boosting levels of DUSP4 could be a novel way of preventing or treating epilepsy.
World’s First ‘Pathoconnectome’ Could Point Toward New Treatments for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Scientists from the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah have achieved another first in the field of connectomics, which studies the synaptic connections between neurons. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded lab has produced the first pathoconnectome, showing how eye disease alters retinal circuitry.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk Varies in Patients with Different Types of Epilepsy
People with generalized epilepsy who have seizures arising from both sides of the brain simultaneously, have a higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared to patients who have focal epilepsy where seizures emanate from one area of the brain, according to a Rutgers study.
New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE): Awareness and research
This rare but life-threatening condition is often due to an autoimmune response. Speedier diagnosis and more effective treatments are priorities.
National Study in Children, Adults Weighs Effectiveness of Three Anti-Seizure Drugs
DALLAS – Aug. 31, 2020 – Three anticonvulsant drugs commonly used to stop prolonged, potentially deadly seizures each work equally well, according to a national study led by physicians at UT Southwestern. The results provide reassurance to patients who may have drug allergies and to physicians and hospitals that may not have supplies of all three.
Microglia Might Lessen Seizure Severity in Epilepsy
New research in mice highlights the potential protective effect of microglia—a type of non-neuronal cell in the brain—against overactivation of the central nervous system during acute epileptic seizures. The study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology.
Genetic Causes of Severe Childhood Brain Disorders Found Using New Computational Methods that Process Clinical Features at Scale
A team of researchers have combined clinical information with large-scale genomic data to successfully link characteristic presentations of childhood epilepsies with specific genetic variants.
North American Virtual Epilepsy Congress September 24-27
The ILAE/IBE congresses attract clinicians, researchers, policymakers and advocates from around the world to hear about the latest research and treatment advances in epilepsy.
RespireRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. licenses drug development compounds from UWM Research Foundation
The newly licensed compounds, developed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, act on a particular neurotransmitter receptor in the brain, which has shown promise for treatment of epilepsy and other convulsant disorders.
Will the COVID-19 pandemic give a permanent boost to telemedicine for epilepsy care?
Telemedicine for epilepsy care is more popular than ever. It has many advantages—but can it sustain itself into the future?
Researchers Combine Genetic Information with Electronic Medical Records to Pinpoint When Epilepsies Affect Children
A team of researchers further bridged the gap between genomic information and clinical outcome data by systematically linking genetic information with electronic medical records, focusing on how genetic neurological disorders in children develop over time.
Higher hopes for seizure freedom in epilepsy: Setting the record straight
It’s been said that after two failed anti-seizure medications, chances for seizure freedom drop to less than 5%. This error arose nearly two decades ago and needs to be corrected, says a letter in the journal Epilepsia – chances are actually much higher.
Pickled capers activate proteins important for human brain and heart health
A compound commonly found in pickled capers has been shown to activate proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity, and may even lead to future therapies for the treatment of epilepsy and abnormal heart rhythms.
Can community-based interventions help to close the epilepsy treatment gap?
More than 50 million people have epilepsy; about 80% live in lower- or middle-income countries, where diagnosis and treatment can be difficult or impossible. The percentage of people with epilepsy that is not receiving treatment is known as the treatment gap; in some countries, this gap exceeds 90%.
Suspended studies and virtual lab meetings: How the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting epilepsy researchers
How was epilepsy research forced to morph during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic? Researchers from 11 countries shared their experiences and thoughts on the future of laboratory research, clinical trials, and in-person conferences.
Researchers Discover a Novel Potassium Channel Activator Which Acts as a Potential Anticonvulsant
Corresponding Authors: Paul A. Slesinger, PhD, Lillian and Henry M. Stratton Professor of Neuroscience, Director, Center for Neurotechnology & Behavior, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (lead) Avner Schlessinger, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Associate…
A deeper dive into epilepsy: Integrating tools for characterizing focal cortical dysplasia
Journal Prize winner Zhong Ying integrated genetics, clinical presentation, EEG, MRI, and histopathological diagnosis in a group of people with drug-resistant epilepsy. All had a specific type of brain lesion that can be difficult to identify.
Bridging the information gap with new EEG techniques for epilepsy
Journal Prize winner Ana Coito is developing methods to extract information from EEG readings about brain connectivity and information exchange. Her award-winning research focused on applying these methods to low-density EEG readings, which would make them accessible to more regions of the world.
Harnessing complexity to advance epilepsy research: Learning the language of EEG spike-wave discharges
Journal Prize winner Jesse A. Pfammatter found that certain EEG patterns that indicate absence epilepsy may hold more information than previously thought.
Improving treatment for psychogenic seizures: “This is a group of patients that we are taking less seriously”
Journal prize winner Benjamin Tolchin tested motivational interviewing to help people with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) start and continue psychotherapy. Often mistaken for epilepsy, these seizures cause serious problems, yet many health care professionals discount them as “not real.”
From bench to beach: Award-winning epilepsy researcher furthers understanding of how cannabidiol stops seizures
Lyndsey Anderson traveled halfway around the world to do epilepsy research in Sydney, Australia. Recently, she was awarded ILAE’s 2020 Epilepsia Prize for Basic Science Research.
New imaging method tracks brain’s elusive networks
Understanding the source and network of signals as the brain functions is a central goal of brain research. Now, Carnegie Mellon engineers have created a system for high-density EEG imaging of the origin and path of normal and abnormal brain signals.
When seizures don’t stop: What’s the latest in treating status epilepticus?
When seizures last longer than about 5 minutes–a condition called status epilepticus–emergency treatment is required. About two-thirds of people respond to initial treatment with benzodiazepines, but the others need a second drug. Which drug to choose is a matter of some debate.
Two Steps Closer to Flexible, Powerful, Fast Bioelectronic Devices
Led by Biomedical Engineering Prof Dion Khodagholy, researchers have designed biocompatible ion-driven soft transistors that can perform real-time neurologically relevant computation and a mixed-conducting particulate composite that allows creation of electronic components out of a single material. These have promise for bioelectronic devices that are fast, sensitive, biocompatible, soft, and flexible, with long-term stability in physiological environments such as the human body. In particular, they could facilitate diagnosis and monitoring of neurological disease.
In epilepsy, seizures are often frightening. What happens afterward can be worse.
Seizure control is the primary driver of epilepsy treatment. For many people with epilepsy, however, the seizures themselves are secondary to what comes after: fatigue, memory loss and other issues that dramatically affect their lives.
Post-ictal psychosis: A medical emergency for people with epilepsy
About 70% of people with epilepsy report post-seizure (post-ictal) complications, ranging from fatigue to memory issues to headache. Post-ictal psychosis while rare, is perhaps the most dramatic of these. As many as 7% of people with temporal lobe epilepsy develop PIP, which can cause suicidal behavior or interpersonal violence. The condition requires immediate attention and treatment.
Hold the phone: Smartphone video makes it easier to diagnose epilepsy and psychogenic seizures
What if there was a tool to help with faster, more accurate diagnosis of both psychogenic seizures and epilepsy? And what if this tool was simpler and less expensive than video EEG, and available almost everywhere?
Reducing the epilepsy treatment gap in Pakistan: Start small, stay flexible, never give up
In retrospect, Pakistan’s effort to reduce the treatment gap can appear painstakingly planned, like the blueprints for a shopping complex or a neighborhood. But the secret of the country’s success is not rooted in elaborate planning. Nor did it rely on generous funding or government support.
Epilepsy education at Disneyland: Spreading awareness, changing lives
At Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland, thousands of families and physicians mix epilepsy education, information, and advocacy with enjoying a day at “the happiest place on earth.”
Epilepsy Study Shows Link Between Brain Activity and Memory
A new study reveals how memory and abnormal brain activity are linked in patients with epilepsy who often report problems with memory. The data show that abnormal electrical pulses from specific brain cells in these patients are associated with a temporary kind of memory disruption called transient cognitive impairment.
Extra benefit from epilepsy neurostimulators — reducing comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms
Researchers report cases of five epilepsy patients who found better treatments for deleterious neuropsychiatric symptoms like anxiety and depression using data collected — while the patients were at home — from implanted neurostimulators placed in their brains to control their epileptic seizures.
Head-to-Head Comparison Finds Three Anti-Seizure Drugs Equally Effective for Severe Form of Epilepsy
A new clinical trial in the emergency department finds no difference in efficacy or adverse effects of three commonly used treatments for patients with refractory status epilepticus.
Investigational Drug for People with Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy
Imagine not being able to drive, shower alone or even work because you are never quite sure when the next seizure will leave you incapacitated. Hope may be on the horizon for epilepsy patients who have had limited success with seizure drugs. In a study, led by a Johns Hopkins lead investigator, of 437 patients across 107 institutions in 16 countries, researchers found that the investigational drug cenobamate reduced seizures 55% on the two highest doses of this medication that were tested over the entire treatment period.
Keck Medicine of USC announces launch of USC Epilepsy Care Consortium to serve epilepsy patients throughout Southern and Central California
Keck Medicine of USC announces the launch of the USC Epilepsy Care Consortium, a unique partnership of six independent epilepsy centers serving patients in Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Central Valley.
How to improve epilepsy care in Africa? Include traditional healers, schoolchildren and the guy next door
In Mozambique, most people with epilepsy don’t seek treatment. So the country took on an intimidating challenge: Diagnose and treat more people by increasing awareness, reducing stigma, improving medication access, and partnering with traditional healers.
Parents of adults with epilepsy: Caregiving without a net
When an adult child is diagnosed with epilepsy, their parents face a wide array of social, emotional and financial issues, often with very little support. Striking a balance between caring for their child and allowing independence can be difficult and frustrating.
Cleveland Clinic-led Research Team Develops New Genetic-based Epilepsy Risk Scores
An international team of researchers led by Cleveland Clinic has developed new genetic-based epilepsy risk scores which may lay the foundation for a more personalized method of epilepsy diagnosis and treatment.
CNS Gift to the CNS Foundation Doubles Innovative Clinical Research Initiative, Creating Annual NINDS/CNSF K12 Scholar Awards
The Congress of Neurological Surgeons Foundation (CNS Foundation) announced a second K12 award will be funded by a generous gift from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). The award is made possible through a collaboration with the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Screening for depression in people with epilepsy: Improve care, save lives
Any neurologist who sees patients with epilepsy also sees patients with undiagnosed depression. A simple screening tool can improve outcomes and save lives.