Latest epilepsy Stories

How well people with newly diagnosed epilepsy respond to their first drug treatment, may signal the likelihood that they will continue to have uncontrolled seizures according to University of Melbourne Chair of Neurology Professor Patrick Kwan. In a study published in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, Professor Kwan, who is also head of the clinical epilepsy program at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and an international authority in antiepileptic drug...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) –They say first impressions are lasting impressions--and for people with epilepsy the way they respond to their first drug treatment could tell doctors a lot about the likelihood of future seizures. "Our research shows a pattern based on how a person responds to initial treatment and specifically, to their first two courses of drug treatment," study author Patrick Kwan, M.D., Ph.D., with the University of Melbourne in Australia was quoted as saying. For the study,...

LOS ANGELES, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier today, at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Dr. Ian Cook, Principal Investigator and Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, and a Senior Medical Advisor to NeuroSigma, Inc., presented the results of a Phase Ib open-label clinical trial that studied the effects of eTNS(TM) on depressive symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy. Results from the 17-question Hamilton...

Basis for the epilepsy-autism connection is found - and may be reversible with an existing drug BOSTON, May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Early-life seizures are known to be associated with autism, and studies indicate that about 40 percent of patients with autism also have epilepsy. A study from Boston Children's Hospital finds a reason for the link, and suggests that an existing drug, already shown to be safe in children, could help prevent autism from developing in...

Although the two disorders may seem dissimilar, epilepsy and psychosis are associated. Individuals with epilepsy are more likely to have schizophrenia, and a family history of epilepsy is a risk factor for psychosis. It is not known whether the converse is true, i.e., whether a family history of psychosis is a risk factor for epilepsy. Multiple studies using varied investigative techniques have shown that patients with schizophrenia and patients with epilepsy show some similar structural...

Work by IRB Barcelona researchers will further the study of neurodegenerative diseases such as Lafora progressive myoclonic epilepsy Collaborative research by groups headed by scientists Joan J. Guinovart and Marco Milán at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) has revealed conclusive evidence about the harmful effects of the accumulation of glucose chains (glycogen) in fly and mouse neurons. These two animal models will allow scientists to address the genes involved...

Walks benefit people living with seizures SEATTLE, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Over two thousand or more people will march in eight cities throughout the northwest for the 10th Annual Northwest Run/Walk for Epilepsy. The events will occur on Saturday, June 16 in Seattle, Portland, Tacoma, Tri-Cities, Hermiston, Anchorage and Juneau, and on Saturday, June 9 in Spokane. All events benefit the Epilepsy Foundation Northwest. "Everyone is invited to participate in the...

TAU develops "BL-7050" to ease the neuropathic pain of millions of sufferers Neuropathic pain, caused by nerve or tissue damage, is the culprit behind many cases of chronic pain. It can be the result of an accident or caused by a variety of medical conditions and diseases such as tumors, lupus, and diabetes. Typically resistant to common types of pain management including ibuprofen and even morphine, neuropathic pain can lead to lifelong disability for many sufferers. Now a drug...

The ability to navigate using spatial cues was impaired in mice whose brains were minus a channel that delivers potassium — a finding that may have implications for humans with damage to the hippocampus, a brain structure critical to memory and learning, according to a Baylor University researcher. Mice missing the channel also showed diminished learning ability in an experiment dealing with fear conditioning, said Joaquin Lugo, Ph.D., the lead author in the study and an assistant...

( ) ATLANTA, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- UCB today announced interim results from the VITOBA(TM) (VImpaT® added to One Baseline AED) study, which showed that patients with less refractory partial-onset seizures treated with Vimpat® (lacosamide) C-V as add-on to monotherapy experienced seizure reduction. These data were presented today at the 64th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in New Orleans. VITOBA(TM) is a six-month prospective, non-interventional...