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Epilepsy Foundation » Newsroom » Copy of Daily News Briefs (August 2006) 

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Study Shows Post-Surgical Verbal Memory Decline

September 8, 2006
A study by Dutch researchers, reported in the August issue of the journal Neurology, shows that surgery, most notably on the left temporal lobe, can result in a decline in verbal memory functions.

Dr. Willem C.J. Alpherts, from the Epilepsy Institute of the Netherlands, and his associates, evaluated the long-term effects of temporal lobe epilepsy surgery on 85 patients. They assessed verbal memory performance with a verbal test and found that patients who were treated on the left side showed an ongoing memory decline for consolidation and acquisition of verbal material for up to 2 years after surgery. Patients treated on the right side initially showed an increase in memory acquisition, which was not sustained in the long term.

The results indicate a compromise between being seizure-free and the risk of memory loss following epilepsy surgery.

WHO: Majority of Patients Have No Access to Treatment

August 31, 2006
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that 80 percent of the people suffering from epilepsy in the world have no access to treatment due to the myths and superstitions surrounding the disease. Over 50 million people in the world have epilepsy, 85 percent of whom live in developing countries. In addition to cultural attitudes, a lack of prioritization and inadequate supplies of antiepileptic drugs are also obstacles to appropriate treatment.

At an event in Africa marking national epilepsy day, the WHO country representative attributed the treatment gap to inadequacies in health care resources and social stigma. She emphasized the importance of understanding that people with epilepsy can have a normal life, as long as they take prescribed medicines. She cited the societal stigmatization of epilepsy as a reason why many people with epilepsy forego seeking proper treatment. Among patients who do receive treatment in developing countries, 40-70 percent drop out at different stages of treatment, causing a recurrence of seizures. The WHO representative noted that people with epilepsy suffer more from misconceptions and stigmatization than they do from epilepsy itself.

Atkins for Kids May Prevent Seizures

August 21, 2006
The Atkins low-carbohydrate diet, popular among adults for weight loss purposes, may help children with epilepsy, including those who cannot tolerate the more restrictive ketogenic diet. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center reported the results of a small study that examined whether children following the Atkins diet were able to reduce antiepileptic drug usage and control or prevent seizures.

Both diets severly restrict carbohydrates and include high fat foods, resulting in a change in the body's glucose chemistry. With the ketogenic diet, when the body, prompted to use up glucose stores, begins burning stored body fat, it produces seizure-inhibiting fat byproducts known as ketones. The Atkins diet produces the same chemical, but the permissible foods are less restrictive.

The ketogenic diet, followed for a seizure-free period of two years, can result in the elimination of seizures. Scientists plan to pursue whether the Atkins diet can produce the same result and offer a greater range of possible treatment options for children with epilepsy.

Ordinary Brain Cells May Have Stem Cell Healing Power

August 18, 2006
Self-renewal and adaptability, qualities that previously were ascribed only to stem cells, may also be present in common human brain cells, a University of Florida research team reports. This development raises hopes for a new source of cells to combat numerous neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.

The study, which was published in Development is funded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. It is the first demonstration that ordinary human brain cells can change into different cell types when incubated in cell cultures. The original cells, extracted from animals and from patients undergoing epilepsy surgery, acted as "neural progenitors" - cells that are further developed than stem cells but still can divide and become different types of brain cells.

Scientists hope to use the new cells both to repair damaged tissue, to produce substances that help maintain current brain tissue and to increase the amount of brain cell material available to test new drug safety and effectiveness.

Naturally Occurring Brain Protein Is Promising Epilepsy Treatment

August 16, 2006
Valproaic acid has been found to increase by over 50% the amount of neupeptide Y, a naturally occurring brain protein, in two parts of the brain: the thalamus and the hippocampus. These are the parts of the brain associated with seizures.

While valproaic acid has long been used as a treatment for epilepsy, scientists did not know the specific reason it did work. The discovery that it boosts the brain's neuropeptides may lead to new ways of triggering production and increasing the duration of this boost.

The research study, conducted at Stanford University Medical Center, was reported in the Journal of Neuroscience and may lead to seizure treatment without side effects.

Neurosurgeons Try New Technique to Map Seizure Source

August 10, 2006
Neurosurgeons at Cornell Weill Medical Center in New York are utilizing a new technique to find the point of seizure origin in people with focal neocortical epilepsy. Surgery, which works for some patients, is the only known cure for epilepsy. The traditional method of locating the source of a temporal lobe seizure is called electrophysiological recording, which involves placing electrodes on the brain's surface.

While this method is effective for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, where the seizure focus is centralized and near the seizure, a new technique called optical imaging holds promise, according to the Cornell team. Focal neocortical seizures do not always originate at the location of the seizure, and the point of origin may also change over time.

Optical imaging involves placing a glass plate over the brain, then photographing light reflectance changes during seizure activity. Watching the videographed changes in slow motion helps surgeons to identify which parts of the brain are causing the seizures and should be removed.

Sometimes, in the best cases, the seizure happens naturally during the videography of the brain's surface, but the surgical team can create a seizure with gentle electrical stimulation. The whole procedure, which is only performed during already scheduled surgeries. The technique is experimental at this stage, and no additional surgeries are performed just for the study.

Epilepsy Drug May Pose Risk to Fetuses

August 9, 2006
University of Florida researchers reported that a commonly prescribed drug for epilepsy, valproate, poses a higher risk of birth defects than other antiepileptic drugs. The study, which followed over 300 women, revealed twenty percent of pregnancies where the expectant mother took valproate resulted in major birth defects or, in several cases, fetal death.

The study's lead author Kimford Meador, is a member of the Epilepsy Foundation's Professional Advisory Board. Meador noted that over 90 percent of pregnant women who took epilepsy medication delivered healthy children, a lower rate than the 97-98 percent in the general population. Doctors are studying the effects of epilepsy medications on pregnant women and their unborn children and will conduct larger studies in the future.

The researchers indicate that valproate is a good treatment for patients who cannot use other drugs, but recommend that it not be prescribed to women of child-bearing age unless other options fail. Taking lower doses of valproate also may help. Pregnant women who take epilepsy drugs are asked to join the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry.

Medication Keppra Available in Injectable Form

August 3, 2006
The pharmaceutical company UCB, the maker of the antiepileptic medication Keppra, announced in August that the FDA has approved a new injectable form of the drug, which will only be allowed to be administered by medical personnel. The approval makes Keppra the only second-generation anti-epileptic drug available in the U.S. and Europe in both oral and intravenous formulations.

According to a UCB spokesperson, "This new Keppra formulation will be of help to patients and physicians in emergency seizure situations where oral medication is not an option."

"The availability of an intravenous form of Keppra will be an important addition to our arsenal of seizure medications," said William Turk, M.D., a member of the Epilepsy Foundation's professional advisory board. "Currently we have only several medications that can be given by injection. This formulation should be of value in patients who cannot take medication orally, patients that have a cluster of seizures or possibly for individuals having prolonged seizures called status epilepticus."

"Brain Pacemaker" May Arrest Seizures

August 1, 2006
Magnetic stimulation of the vagus nerve has been available as an epilepsy treatment since the late 1990s, but a new UCLA-based study reported in the July edition of Epilepsia indicates that trigeminal nerve stimulation - a "brain pacemaker" - may be a new option.

The trigeminal nerve extends into the brain from the face and forehead, and it can play a role in inhibiting seizures. TNS differs from VNS in that the former stimulates both sides of the brain, and it can also be tested externally, whereas VNS involves implanting the stimulator surgically.

The TNS, which was originally tested in animal studies at Duke University, was tested on a limited number of humans at UCLA. A follow-up study, currently enrolling patients, will extend the findings to a larger test group.

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