The improved care delivery system that we envision includes self-management, electronic patient (or provider)-reported outcomes, on-going remote surveillance, and alerting/warning systems. This system and variants have the potential to reduce seizure burden through improved management, keep children out of the emergency department and hospital, and even reduce the number of outpatient visits.
A new system of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy was implanted in the first patient with drug-resistant epilepsy, as part of a global registry launched by LivaNova to evaluate the treatment in a real-world setting.
Research identifying the role of a specific protein in the brain in triggering epileptic seizures could spark creation of a new family of medications to help patients with the disease, according to Dr. Gabriel Martz, director of the Epilepsy Center at the Hartford HealthCare Ayer Neuroscience Institute.
The research, published in a recent issue of the academic journal Nature Communications, suggests that the protein collybindin, previously not thought to be relevant in the brain activity that activates or inhibits seizures, could actually play a role. A new medication, he says, could target the collybindin or its binding site in the brain to help curb seizures.
Sympazan™ (clobazam) oral film received tentative approval by the FDA for the adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) in patients 2 years of age or older.
Our data suggest that hormone therapy for assisted reproduction could exacerbate seizures and should be carefully monitored in women with epilepsy, especially those taking drugs inactivated by glucuronidation. Adjunctive concomitant antiepileptic therapy should be considered.
Ketogenic Diet
Studies that used objective neuropsychological tests confirmed benefits on alertness but found no improvement in global cognition. There are indications that these improvements are caused by both seizure reduction and direct effects of KD on cognition.
Researchers engineered an electronic drug delivery tool that pumps seizure-stopping molecules directly to the source of the problem in the brain.
Researchers have successfully demonstrated how an electronic device implanted directly into the brain can detect, stop and even prevent epileptic seizures.The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines and INSERM in France, implanted the device into the brains of mice, and when the first signals of a seizure were detected, delivered a native brain chemical which stopped the seizure from progressing.
On Nov. 19, Susan and David Axelrod will join scientists, researchers and community members for the 2018 Leaders in Innovation Dinner hosted by Robarts Research Institute. This year’s dinner celebrates research excellence in the field of epilepsy.
