News on Epilepsy

Epilepsy treatment possible culprit for development of schizophrenia
From Science Blog: "Antiepilectic drug treatments administered when the brain is developing appear to trigger schizophrenia-like behavior in animal models. In humans, having a history of seizures in infancy is a significant risk factor for development of schizophrenia later in life, but it is not known whether the risk is due to seizures themselves, or from side effects of treatment." (10/21/09)

Mobile app detects seizures
From thewherebusiness.net: "Epdetect monitors the movement of the person while the phone is in their pocket or worn on a belt. The software differentiates the movements associated with epilepsy from normal movement. When a seizure is detected, it will warn the person that it is about to send an SMS message to a carer." (9/17/09)

Fragile period of childhood brain development could underlie epilepsy
From Science Blog: "A form of partial epilepsy associated with auditory and other sensory hallucinations has been linked to the disruption of brain development during early childhood, according to a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)." (8/24/09)

Children With Newly Diagnosed Epilepsy At Risk For Cognitive Problems,
From Science Daily: "Children who have normal IQs before they experience a first seizure may also have problems with language, memory, learning and other cognitive skills." (8/18/09)

Epilepsy halted in mice
From Science Blog: "Scientists at Leeds have prevented epilepsy caused by a gene defect from being passed on to mice offspring -- an achievement which may herald new therapies for people suffering from the condition." (8/4/09)

Actor Greg Grunberg Steps Up for Epilepsy
From WebMD: "On the NBC show Heroes, Greg Grunberg plays an ordinary guy with extraordinary powers. In real life, he credits astonishing powers to his 13-year-old son, Jake, who has lived with epilepsy for the past five years." (6/4/09)

Brain-scanning process that holds promise for epilepsy treatments
From Science Blog: "Approximately one-third of people who suffer from epileptic seizures cannot be treated by medication, and this process could lead to further advancements in surgical treatment." (5/20/09)

Prince reveals childhood epilepsy
From the BBC: "Pop star Prince has revealed for the first time that he was 'born epileptic' and how his parents struggled to cope with his seizures." (5/1/09)

Camphor-containing products tied to kids' seizures
From Reuters: "Camphor ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin, as well as a combination of these exposures may cause seizures up to 90 minutes after exposure, they note." (4/29/09)

Researchers discover that gene switches on in development of epilepsy
From Science Blog: "A discovery made by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine while studying mice may help explain how some people without a genetic predisposition to epilepsy can develop the disorder." (4/23/09)

Epilepsy: Overlooked and underfunded too long
From Disability News: "Epilepsy in America is as common as breast cancer and kills as many people. Up to 50,000 Americans die each year from seizures and related causes. More than 3 million Americans are affected by epilepsy. ... Yet funding for epilepsy research lags far behind other neurological conditions." (4/13/09)

Heroes' Greg Grunberg Thinks His Son Can Beat Epilepsy
From TV Guide: "Grunberg's 12-year-old son, Jake, has lived with the struggles and seizures epilepsy causes, but thanks to a recent brain surgery, he is showing massive signs of improvement." (4/8/09)

Greg Grunberg is a Hero for Epilepsy
From ParentDish: "The 'Heroes' star says his son Jake is the real hero. Jake, now 13, was diagnosed with epilepsy at age seven. It started with what Grunberg describes as 'staring spells,' and got worse from there." (4/2/09)

'Heroes' star's son better after brain surgery
From MSNBC: "'Heroes' star's son better after brain surgery Actor Greg Grunberg calls the results of epilepsy procedure a 'home run.'" (4/2/09)

Brain injury raises epilepsy risk for years: study
From Reuters: "A Danish team found that the odds of epilepsy more than doubled after mild brain injury or skull fracture and was seven times more likely in patients with serious brain injury." (2/24/09)

Susan Axelrod: "I must save my child"
From Disability News: "Wife of key Obama aide shares family%u2019s journey with epilepsy." (2/15/09)

Controversial Medication May Decrease Spasms For Infants With Epilepsy
From Science Daily: The antiepileptic drug vigabatrin (VGB) has been shown to be one of the best treatments against a special form of epilepsy in infants, called infantile spasm. However, its use has been limited in many countries because it has been shown to cause a permanent narrowing of visual fields in approximately 40 percent of adults who have been exposed at school age or later." (2/3/09)

Gene Discovered for Most Common Form of Epilepsy
From HealthDay: "Researchers have linked a genetic variation to a common form of epilepsy in children, potentially paving the way toward greater insight into the disorder." (1/29/09)

Grey matters
From Fighting Monsters with Rubber Swords: "The reality that most special needs parents face is cloaked in shades of grey. We finally receive the answers for which we wait for so long, and we step back and look at them and say, 'Huh. Okay then. What now?'" (1/6/09)

Scared of seizures
From To The Max: "Ah, how much can change in a day. Yesterday, it was 65 degrees and Max seemed fine. Today, it is a snowy winter wonderland and I am a little panicky about the possibility that Max is having seizures." (12/18/08)

FDA Adds Suicide Warning to Epilepsy Drugs
From HealthDay: FDA "says patients on antiepileptics need to be monitored for indications of mood changes." (12/17/08)

Monster hunt
From Fighting Monsters with Rubber Swords: "We don't actually know that she's even having absence seizures at all. She turns nine this coming Sunday, after all; there's a condition that that causes an inability to focus that many nine-year-olds suffer from. It's called being nine." (12/16/08)

Tiny Maybe Monster
From Fighting Monsters With Rubber Swords: "It's hard to say with absolute certainty that Schuyler's little fade-outs at home with us are a product of tiny electrical storms in her head, or just the inevitability of her growing boredom where her parents are concerned." (12/8/08)

Mayo Clinic Finds It Safe To Withdraw Anti-seizure Medication
From Science Daily: "A new Mayo Clinic study found that it is generally safe to withdraw anti-seizure medications in children with epilepsy who have achieved seizure-freedom while on the medication. Researchers found that these children were not at high risk of subsequently developing intractable epilepsy." (12/8/08)

Monstrum electricus
From Fighting Monsters with Rubber Swords: "Absence seizures are subtle, after all, and they manifest themselves in different ways, depending on the person. They are also particularly hard to detect in non-verbal subjects, for whom a sudden lapse in conversation is obviously not much of a tell." (12/4/08)

FDA Approves New Drug for Severe Epilepsy
From HealthDay: "Trials showed Banzel proved effective against Lennox-Gastaut syndrome." (11/22/08)

Tuberous Sclerosis Offers Clues to Epilepsy and Autism
From NINDS: "Three recent studies show that the drug rapamycin reduces neurological symptoms in mouse models of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a rare genetic disorder associated with epilepsy and autism. Scientists say those results could pave the way for effective treatment -- and not just for TSC." (11/6/08)

Preeclampsia raises risk of epilepsy in offspring
From Reuters: "Among women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy, an increased risk of epilepsy is present in their children who are born after 37 weeks of pregnancy, according to a report in the current issue of Pediatrics." (11/5/08)

BioLink wins three patents for epilepsy treatment
New valproates may have fewer effects. (8/5/08)

Report: PS3 Wipeout Failing Epilepsy Tests
Fear that the video game may cause seizures is prompting some re-engineering. (7/24/08)

Great Epilepsy Legal Resource
The Special Education Law Blog points to a useful resource for parents and attorneys on defending the rights of those with this invisible disability. (7/17/08)

Panel rejects strong epilepsy drug warning
That Black Box warning on epilepsy meds isn't going to happen after all; an FDA panel found that while there's an increased risk of suicide, it's not enough to risk scaring people away from the drugs. (7/11/08)

FDA to urge black box warning for epilepsy drugs
An advisory panel will be considering whether an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions warrants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's strongest caution. (7/7/08)

Review finds suicidal actions linked with epilepsy drugs
"Epilepsy drugs are associated with a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior, U.S. drug reviewers said in an analysis that was released on Wednesday and mirrored earlier findings." (6/11/08)

High-fat, low-carb diet helps kids with epilepsy
"The results of a study provide strong evidence that a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates -- a so-called 'ketogenic diet' -- can help control seizures in children with stubborn epilepsy that does not respond well to drug therapy." (5/5/08)

Impaired fetal growth linked with epilepsy risk
"Infants with impaired growth in the womb, indicated by low birth weight or birth before full term, appear to have an increased risk of epilepsy in early childhood, according to a new study." (2/19/08)

Seizure Research Automatically Enrolls Kids in ERs
Want your child to participate in a study on seizure drugs? Just take your seizing little one to an emergency room participating in a study for the National Institutes of Health. Doctors at these ERs will dose first, ask questions later. (5/31/07)

Anti-Dandruff Chemical Prevents Seizures, Too
In a surprising bit of scientific research, an active ingredient in dandruff shampoos, zinc pyrithione (ZnPy), has been found to facilitate the flow of potassium to soothe overactive cells that fire too freely in epilepsy and seizure disorders. (4/30/07)

Heroes Artwork Auctioned for Epilepsy Research
NBC is auctioning off artwork from its hit series "Heroes" to benefit epilepsy research. Greg Grunberg, a co-star in the series, has a son with autism and has been active in fund-raising. (3/12/07)

Epilepsy patients can sometimes predict seizures
"While they can't always tell, epilepsy patients quite often know when a seizure will occur, a new study indicates. Younger patients and those with frequent seizures are particularly good at predicting an attack." (1/22/07)

Teens with epilepsy at risk for depression
More than half of all children with epilepsy will struggle with depression or another mental illness during their teen years, and may try to hide it to avoid dealing with yet another stigma. (4/6/06)

Olympian doesn't let epilepsy keep her from her goal
Diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 9, Chanda Gunn chose ice hockey as her sport in part because more "dangerous" ones like swimming were forbidden due to her seizures. (2/13/06)