SUDEP
They are hopeful their findings will apply to children with and without epilepsy who may be at risk for sudden death. Their overall goal is to identify not only genetic risk factors for SIDS and SUDC, but also other means of identifying children at risk for sudden death.
Acquired Epilepsies
Currently, there are no methods to predict who will develop epilepsy, or any means of preventing epilepsy after such an infection.
Tech/AI
The way these electrodes are constructed and inserted limits the brain damage associated with the penetrating electrodes currently used for recording neural signals.
Sleep
Dr. Kalume and his team hope these studies will lead to practical steps not involving medication that individuals with epilepsy can take to improve their circadian rhythm and sleep to reduce seizures and the risk of SUDEP.
Dravet Syndrome, Rare Epilepsies
Besides providing a potential new treatment for Dravet syndrome, these results are especially important because they highlight the therapeutic power of venomous substances, Dr. King notes. These substances work due to their ability to target the brain and alter its activity.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
An advantage of regenerative medicine is that the transplanted cells can potentially replace lost or damaged inhibitory neurons and also integrate into the existing brain circuitry.
Genetics, Pediatric Epilepsy
These genetic mutations are very rare and therefore collaborative efforts with multiple patient populations make it more likely that a rare genetic mutation can be identified and studied.
SUDEP
This finding is significant because it points to a possible role of the amygdala in what may be the most severe epilepsy-related complication, Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).
Genetics
Even in cases where surgery is performed, up to 40% of these children may still have seizures.
