Report on Research

Solving the puzzle of any condition requires the brightest, most inquisitive scientific minds and the funding to explore all paths that could lead to new treatments and ultimately a cure. With that in mind, the Epilepsy Foundation annually awards millions of dollars in grants to some of the brightest medical students, pre-doctoral fellows and senior investigators conducting studies in basic science, clinical and behavioral research projects. This research brings the medical and scientific communities a step closer to better understanding and treating epilepsy, which in turn assists people with epilepsy in leading improved lives.

In 2005, the Epilepsy Foundation awarded 19 grants and 44 fellowships. These studies are currently underway and include such topics as: the therapeutic effectiveness of environmental enrichment following early-life seizures; how children view their seizures and what may be used to develop psychological interventions; and the relationship of obstructive sleep apnea to seizure control in older adults with epilepsy.

Although many intriguing epilepsy studies were funded in 2005, one of the most interesting projects was a prospective study of cigarette smoking and caffeine intake. Researchers aim to investigate whether two common and modifiable exposures, namely cigarettes and caffeine, increase the development of seizures and epilepsy. Jae Hee Kang, Sc.D., and Barbara Dworetzky, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., are performing the research in a large group of adult women whom they will follow for a period of eight years.

Another study of particular interest is currently being performed by Sookyong Koh, M.D., Ph.D., of Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ill. Koh noted that memory impairment, school failure and behavioral problems are common among children with epilepsy and often become the central focus for many families. His research uses gene therapy to improve seizure-induced memory and behavioral deficits in an animal model of childhood epilepsy. Koh's research was part of the Epilepsy Foundation's Partnership for Pediatric Epilepsy Research program.