This study was carried out to determine the effect of intrauterine carbamazepine (Tegretol ®) exposure on fetal bone development during pregnancy.
Pediatric Epilepsy
Many seizing neonates fail to respond to first-line anticonvulsant medications. Phenobarbital, an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, has low efficacy in treating neonatal seizures and causes neuronal apoptosis [cell death]. Yet, it is one of the most used anticonvulsants in this age group.
“Our research has shown that despite the development of more than 15 new drugs in the past three decades, the overall treatment prognosis of epilepsy has not improved. This is likely because these drugs act in similar fashions to their older counterparts. Therefore, new classes of medications with radically different mechanisms of actions are needed,” Professor Kwan said.
This study demonstrates that dynamic linear model [a type of statistical analysis] can predict the number of electrographic seizures a patient will experience days in advance with above chance accuracy. This study represents an important step toward the translation of seizure forecasting methods into the optimization of epilepsy monitoring unit admissions.
CBD
“CBD has been found to be an efficacious antiseizure drug for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, but it did not improve [quality of life] in pediatric patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy in our study,” the team wrote.
In this month's update, you'll find information on a funding opportunity for SUDEP research and employment opportunities through NINDS.
Pediatric Epilepsy
Posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) is a well-known chronic complication following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Despite some evidence that age at the time of injury may influence the likelihood of PTE, the incidence of PTE in pediatric populations remains unclear. We, therefore, conducted a systematic review to determine the overall reported incidence of PTE, and explore potential risk factors associated with PTE after pediatric TBI.
SUDEP
Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy suffer from an increased mortality rate, with the majority of deaths being epilepsy-related and 40% due to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Impact of epilepsy surgery on mortality has been investigated since the 1970s, with increased interest in this field during the past 15?years.
Featuring the work of CURE Epilepsy PTE Initiative grantee Dr. Jeffrey Loeb and his laboratory. The platform supports clinical and preclinical data management. It allows users to comprehensively visualize patient data and perform visual analytics. These utilities can improve research and clinical practice for subarachnoid hemorrhage and other brain injuries.
