Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Epilepsy News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/epilepsy/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113435.php In recent years, stem cell researchers have become very adept at manipulating the fate of adult stem cells cultured in the lab. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies achieved the same feat with adult neural stem cells still in place in the brain. They successfully coaxed mouse brain stem cells bound to join the neuronal network to differentiate into support cells instead. Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113120.php Regulated information UCB announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending that the European Commission grants a marketing authorisation for lacosamide, proposed trade name Vimpat™, for the adjunctive treatment of partial onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients with epilepsy, aged 16 years and older. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113009.php UCB announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending that the European Commission grants a marketing authorisation for lacosamide, proposed trade name Vimpat(TM), for the adjunctive treatment of partial onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients with epilepsy, aged 16 years and older. Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112144.php The most prestigious funding body in the world for epilepsy has financially backed Australian research into new approaches to treat the condition. The Epilepsy Therapy Project will provide almost US$300,000 over the next two years to a group of researchers from leading Australian institutions including the University of Newcastle. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112259.php Sepracor Inc. (Nasdaq: SEPR) announced the presentation of Phase III combined clinical results for eslicarbazepine acetate (SEP-0002093 / BIA 2-093) in the treatment of epilepsy at the Ninth Eilat Conference on New Anti-Epileptic Drugs in Spain. Results of the studies demonstrated a significant reduction in the frequency of partial seizures in patients who were administered eslicarbazepine acetate in combination with other existing anti-epileptic drugs. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112092.php A drug discovery and development collaboration between leading Australian Institutions, the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI), University of Newcastle, University of Melbourne and Bio-Link Partners Ltd., has been announced as the Epilepsy Therapy Project, June 2008 New Therapy Grant winners. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112164.php Researchers in Victoria, Australia have developed a new genetic test to help predict the response of epilepsy sufferers to commonly used drug treatments. The non-invasive blood-based test has been developed by doctors from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne University and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111906.php People with epilepsy who fail to take their seizure medication regularly could be as much as three times more likely to die, according to a study published in the June 18, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, researchers looked at insurance records from three U.S. state Medicaid programs over eight and a half years. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111807.php Evaluations of the first-ever prototype positron emission tomography (PET) brain scanner that uses semiconductor detectors indicate that the scanner could advance the quality and spatial resolution of PET imaging, according to researchers at SNM's 55th Annual Meeting. The prototype scanner already has proven successful in better characterizing partial epilepsy and nasopharyngeal cancer. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111815.php Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientists have identified what may be the first known common denominator underlying inherited and sporadic epilepsy - a disruption in an ion channel called the BK channel. Although BK channels have been linked to a rare, familial form of epilepsy, their involvement in other types of seizure disorders has never been demonstrated. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110611.php Fragile X syndrome (FXS) robs the brain of a protein that plays a major role in the way neurons communicate and that is essential for brain development, learning and memory. A team of scientists has discovered new information about how FXS interferes with signaling between the nucleus of neurons and the synapse, the outer reaches of the neuron where two neurons communicate via chemical and electrical signals. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110515.php Researchers at the University of Iowa and the Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System have uncovered a brain pathway that shuts down seizures. The multidisciplinary team of scientists pieced together information from clinical observations made in the first half of the 20th century with knowledge from modern genetics and molecular biology to show that an acid-activated ion channel in the brain reacts to a drop in pH (increased acid) in a way that shuts down seizure activity. Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110302.php The Epilepsy Foundation honored the Medtronic Foundation for its ongoing dedication and determination to helping people with chronic neurological conditions. The award was presented by the Epilepsy Foundation's president and CEO, Eric R. Hargis, during a ceremony at Medtronic's world headquarters in Fridley, Minn. Fri, 30 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109340.php Imagine "blanking out" of consciousness up to 200 times daily while you're learning in a classroom, playing baseball, taking ballet lessons or riding a bike. This is a common occurrence in the life of a child with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE). The condition is associated with frequent "absent" seizures where the patient's consciousness is impaired leaving the child staring blankly ahead not aware or responsive for up to 10 seconds at a time. Tue, 27 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108849.php Eisai Europe Limited, (Headquarters: London, Chairman and CEO Yutaka Tsuchiya) today announced publication of the results of a major study of its new anti-epileptic agent Inovelon (rufinamide) indicated for adjunctive therapy in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), a severe form of generalised epilepsy that develops in early childhood. Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108694.php Eisai Corporation of North America announced the publication of a placebo-controlled study in Neurology that found patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) treated with the investigational antiepileptic agent rufinamide as adjunctive therapy experienced more than 40% fewer drop attacks than patients who received placebo (increase of 1.4%). The differences between rufinamide and placebo were observed as early as week two of the study. Wed, 14 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107262.php Scientists have identified a genetic mutation responsible for a rare condition called epilepsy and mental retardation limited to females (EFMR), The Times reports. As the name suggests, this condition only affects females and causes seizures that start in infancy or early childhood, as well as cognitive impairment. The scientists identified a defect in the PCDH19 gene, which is found on the X chromosome. Tue, 13 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107201.php A mutated gene has been discovered as the key behind epilepsy and mental retardation specific to women, thanks to new research at Adelaide's Women's & Children's Hospital and the University of Adelaide, Australia. The world-first discovery, published in Nature Genetics, shows that although men carry the 'bad' gene, only women are affected. Sat, 03 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106043.php A randomised controlled trial has confirmed the efficacy of the ketogenic diet in helping control and prevent epileptic seizures in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. These are the conclusions of authors of an Article published early Online and in the June edition of The Lancet Neurology. The ketogenic diet has been used widely and successfully to treat children with drug-resistant epilepsy since the 1920s. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105593.php Young women who took the commonly used epilepsy drug phenytoin for one year showed significant bone loss compared to women taking other epilepsy drugs, according to a study published in the April 29, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers tested the bone health of 93 women with epilepsy who were between the ages of 18 and 40 and were taking the epilepsy drugs phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine or valproate. Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104650.php Data presented at a platform session of the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Chicago support the potential for adjunctive use of intravenous lacosamide 200-600 mg/day using infusion durations as fast as 10 minutes for short term replacement of oral lacosamide in adult patients with partial onset seizures. Regulatory filings for lacosamide oral tablet, oral syrup and intravenous formulation are currently under review by the U. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104325.php An article published in the May 2008 issue of Epilepsia calls attention to the lack of knowledge regarding cognitive aging in chronic epilepsy patients. For persons with chronic epilepsy, little is known about the impact of aging on the course of cognitive and brain health, the prevalence of clinical disorders of aging (mild cognitive impairment, dementia), or the disease burdens and risk factors associated with abnormal cognitive and brain aging. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104032.php Using a rodent model of epilepsy, researchers found one of the body's own neurotransmitters released during seizures, glutamate, turns on a signaling pathway in the brain that increases production of a protein that could reduce medication entry into the brain. Researchers say this may explain why approximately 30 percent of patients with epilepsy do not respond to antiepileptic medications. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103364.php Two years ago, University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists reported they had suppressed epileptic seizures in rats by giving them a glycolytic-inhibitor, inhibiting the brain's ability to turn sugar into excess energy and blocking the expression of seizure-related genes. The discovery was greeted with excitement and hope for a new class of drugs for epilepsy, which afflicts more than 50 million people worldwide. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103273.php Metformine, a widely used diabetic drug, might also be an effective and safe therapy for epilepsy, researchers report. This new approach may be especially helpful for the subset of patients who have recurrent seizures despite therapy with the best available drugs. The basis for metformine's effect is similar to a ketogenic diet, which is an attempt to minimize dietary starch and sugar. Epilepsy patients have been using this severe dietary approach for centuries, which led Dr.