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Epilepsy News

Analysis Supports Use Of Surgery To Treat Medication-Resistant Epilepsy

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Persons with temporal lobe epilepsy who do not respond to medication could receive a substantial gain in life expectancy and quality of life by undergoing surgery of the temporal lobe part of the brain, according to an analysis reported in the December 3 issue of JAMA. Despite currently available anti-epileptic drugs, 20 percent to 40 percent of all patients with epilepsy do not respond to medical management.

Epilepsy Drug May Increase Risk Of Autism In Children

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

A new study shows that women who take the epilepsy drug valproate while pregnant may significantly increase their child's risk of developing autism. The preliminary research is published in the December 2, 2008, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The ongoing study involves 632 children, nearly half of whom were exposed to epilepsy drugs during gestation.

Some Asians Taking Certain Epilepsy Medications Might Experience Adverse Skin Reactions, FDA Says

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

FDA is investigating whether certain medications used to control epileptic seizures can cause severe skin blisters and bleeding for some Asian patients, the AP/Detroit Free Press reports.

Severe Epilepsy Drug Banzel Wins FDA Approval

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Banzel (rufinamide) for the treatment of a severe form of epilepsy in adults and children aged four and over following review of the results of a trial that compared the drug with placebo as an adjunct therapy. Banzel is marketed under license from Swiss-based Novartis Pharma AG by Eisai Corporation Ltd..

FDA Approves New Drug To Treat Severe Form Of Epilepsy

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug, Banzel (rufinamide), for use as an adjunctive (add-on) treatment for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. "This approval offers another treatment option for patients who suffer from these debilitating, severe seizures," said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

International Team Finds Gene Associated With Epilepsy

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

A University of Iowa-led international research team has found a new gene associated with the brain disorder epilepsy. While the PRICKLE1 gene mutation was specific to a rare form of epilepsy, the study results could help lead to new ideas for overall epilepsy treatment. The findings, which involved nearly two dozen institutions from six different countries, appear in the Nov. 7 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Falls In Blood Oxygen Levels May Be Key To Sudden Death In Some Epilepsy Patients

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

A new study by researchers at UC Davis Medical Center suggests that the sudden unexplained deaths of some epilepsy patients may be a result of their brains not telling their bodies to breathe during seizures. "Significant drops in blood oxygen levels are more common than we thought in patients with partial seizures," said study senior author Masud Seyal, a professor of neurology at UC Davis Medical Center and director of the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program.

Lutheran General Hospital Neurologist Treats Epilepsy With Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Daniel Brewer of Palatine has gone from having four to five epileptic seizures a day to a few minor ones in the six months since his surgery for vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy to help control electric signals from his brain. "This has completely changed my life," said the 29-year-old who has had 'every drug known to man' to treat his epilepsy, which he has struggled to control for the past 16 years.

Machinery That Helps Make Memories Identified

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

A major puzzle for neurobiologists is how the brain can modify one microscopic connection, or synapse, at a time in a brain cell and not affect the thousands of other connections nearby. Plasticity, the ability of the brain to precisely rearrange the connections between its nerve cells, is the framework for learning and forming memories.

Common Sedative Linked To Deaths In Patients With Prolonged Seizures

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Patients treated for their prolonged seizures with the sedative propofol may be at high risk for complications and even death. New research presented at CHEST 2008, the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that the use of propofol as an antiepileptic agent in patients with refractory status epilepticus (RSE), prolonged seizures that do not respond to initial treatment, was associated with significant mortality and morbidity.

UCB's Vimpat® Approved By U.S. FDA As Adjunctive Therapy For Partial Onset Seizures In Adults

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vimpat® (lacosamide), a new antiepileptic drug (AED). Vimpat® is for use as an add-on therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in people with epilepsy who are 17 years and older. "Having a new antiepileptic drug option may offer adults with partial onset seizures the chance to obtain seizure control.

Alzheimer's Disease Could Be Prevented And Treated By Common Epilepsy Drug

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

The team led by UBC Psychiatry Prof. Weihong Song, who is also the Jack Brown and Family Professor and Chair in Alzheimer's Disease at UBC, found that if Valproic Acid (VPA) is used as a treatment in early stages of AD memory deficit is reversed. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that VPA works by inhibiting the activity of an enzyme that produces a neurotoxic protein called beta Amyloid. In doing so, plaque formation is discontinued.

Epilepsy Foundation Seeking Signatures

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

In 2009 in the USA, a new President, 535 members of Congress and nearly 10,000 state legislators will take office. By signing our petition, you can help us persuade them to support policies that improve the lives of the three million American families affected by epilepsy. More than 3 million Americans have epilepsy (seizures) and 200,000 new cases are diagnosed yearly. For most, there is no cure and many with epilepsy face discrimination and difficulty accessing care.

Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project - First And Largest Research Study Of Its Kind To Understand What Causes Epilepsy

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

The Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP) consists of a group of researchers, physicians, coordinators, family members, people with epilepsy, advocates, and friends working together unlock the mysteries of epilepsy. EPGP is the first and largest research study of its kind to understand what causes epilepsy, why people respond differently to medications, and why some families have several people with seizures.

NICE Launches New And Updated Guides To Support Effective Commissioning Of Services, UK

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published three new commissioning guides to help the NHS in England effectively commission evidence-based care for patients. The guides cover services for: accurate diagnosis of the epilepsies in adults antenatal and postnatal mental health peer support for women who breastfeed.

Epilepsy: A New Relationship Between Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor And Inflammatory Signaling

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

In the October 14th edition of Science Signaling researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine have shown that the development of epi

Immunotherapy And Quick Action Key To Fighting Anti-NMDA-receptor Encephalitis Tumor

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

An article published early online and in the December edition of The Lancet Neurology describes the clinical features of 100 patients who were diagnosed with the newly discovered anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis (ANRE). Dr Josep Dalmau (Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA) and colleagues also note that patient recovery is improved by early tumor removal in combination with immunotherapy.

VIMPAT (lacosamide), A New Epilepsy Treatment For Adults With Partial Onset Seizures, Launched In The UK

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Vimpat (lacosamide), a new adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients with epilepsy aged 16 years and older, has been launched in the UK. The efficacy of VIMPAT® as adjunctive therapy at recommended doses (200 mg/day, 400 mg/day) was established in 3 multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trials with a 12-week maintenance period.

New Data Show Efficacy Of Zebinix(TM) In The Treatment Of Epilepsy

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Novel Treatment Also Demonstrated Significant Improvement in Quality of Life and Reduction in Depressive Symptoms Positive data from three phase III studies presented at the 8th European Congress of Epileptology, Berlin, Germany, demonstrated that Zebinix(TM) (1)

IBE And UCB Launch New Journalism Award To Improve Understanding Of Epilepsy Around The World

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

The International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) in partnership with UCB, launched a new Journalism Award. The 'Excellence in Epilepsy' Journalism Award invites journalists from around the world to submit stimulating, informed and compelling news and feature stories on epilepsy. The Award is part of a global initiative to increase awareness and understanding of a condition that affects 50 million people, but still remains widely misunderstood.

Epilepsy In Later Life Conference, Scotland

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Guiding good practice for epilepsy in later life Older people who develop epilepsy will have better diagnosis and treatment thanks to a new draft guideline. This guidance is being further developed by delegates attending Epilepsy Scotland's conference, today, in the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh.

Keppra XR(TM) Approved In The U.S. As Add-On To Other Antiepileptic Treatments For People With Partial Onset Seizures

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

UCB announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Keppra XR(TM) (levetiracetam extended-release tablets) for use as an add-on to other antiepileptic treatments for people with partial onset seizures who are 16 years of age and older. Keppra XR(TM) is expected to be available in U.S. pharmacies at the end of September 2008. The goal of therapy with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is freedom from seizures and minimal side effects.

New Epilepsy Campaign Promotes Healthy Mums And Babies, UK

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Every year, around four women with epilepsy die during pregnancy or giving birth, meaning they face a seven times greater risk than women without epilepsy, warns national charity Epilepsy Action. It is this gap which has prompted the charity to launch its Mothers in mind: healthy births campaign during National Pregnancy Health Month (September). The campaign will work towards giving more mums with epilepsy and their babies a happy and healthy future.

The First Direct Structural Evidence Of SV2A Has Been Revealed Thanks To Protein Tomography(TM), And Published In BBRC

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Sidec AB has together with UCB published the first direct structural evidence of the molecular mechanism of the Synaptic Vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) in mouse brain tissue. SV2A is the unique brain-binding site of the second generation anti-epileptic drug levetiracetam (LEV; Keppra(R) is a trademark of UCB). The result shows the first direct structural proof of the "alternating access model" that has been proposed for the MFS class of transporter proteins.

Epileptic Spasms In Infants May Be Eliminated By Diet

Epilepsy News From Medical News Today

Infantile spasms are a severe and potentially devastating epilepsy condition affecting children aged typically 4-8 months. In a new study appearing in Epilepsia, researchers have found that the ketogenic diet, a high fat, low carbohydrate diet more traditionally used for intractable childhood epilepsy, is an effective treatment for this condition before using drugs. The study is the first description of the ketogenic diet as a first-line therapy for infantile spasms.

An appeal by an epilepsy doctor in UK against his hospital