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Epilepsy Foundation » Newsroom » Daily News Briefs (October 2006) 

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Potential Seizure Inhibitor Implant Studied

October 11, 2006
At the University of Pennsylvania, researchers are studying a new treatment method for intractable seizures that do not respond to medication or surgery. Where a traditional method like surgery focuses on mapping, identifying and removing the part of the brain that triggers seizures, the new device would predict and halt seizures before they occur. One such device is called the Neuropace Responsive Neuro Stimulator.

Basing the design and development of the device on recent research that indicates that certain seizures develop over period from several minutes to an hour, scientists seek to develop a system that monitors the brain's changes, detects oncoming seizures and administers an electric shock to force the brain to resume normal behavior.

Researchers are still testing the device, following a small clinical trial that resulted in reduced seizures in almost half of the participants. It is not yet available to the public.

ADHD Medication Shows No Seizure Increase, Trial Shows

October 12, 2006
Studies have indicated high rates - from 12% to 39% - of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with epilepsy. For this reason, researchers at Children's Hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston recently conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a common ADHD medication, Concerta, in children with epilepsy without increasing seizure risk. Concerta, which is an osmotic extended release methylphenidate compound, was alternated with a placebo for two one-week periods in a small randomized study of children who have epilepsy and ADHD.

Investigators noted positive responses to the treatment in most of the study participants, but the children's seizure rate did not increase compared with baseline. The study was sponsored by the National Institutes of Mental Health and McNeil Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Concerta.

Neurotechnology Industry Organization Created to Advance Treatments

October 13, 2006
An estimated 100 million Americans are affected by neurological disorders, including almost 3 million people with epilepsy. A new non-profit trade association, the Neurotechnology Industry Organization, was created to link companies involved in neurotechnology, neuroscience research centers and brain disease advocacy groups in a collaborative effort to hasten cures for neurological diseases and disorders through advocacy, public communication and business development services to members.

NIO, based in San Francisco, aims to help government, patients and the public understand the needs of the neurotechnology industry in an environment where there is unprecedented demand for new treatments, prevention mechanisms and cures for chronic neurological diseases like brain and nervous system illnesses including: epilepsy, Alzheimer's, addiction, anxiety, depression, hearing loss, insomnia, multiple sclerosis, obesity, pain, Parkinson's, schizophrenia and stroke.

Sugar Compound May Block the Onset of Epileptic Seizures

October 16, 2006
A traditional treatment primarily for children with epilepsy, the ketogenic diet, has inspired a potential new pharmaceutical treatment for epilepsy. The ketogenic diet which reduces seizures through strict dietary limitations dramatically reduces carbohydrate breakdown (glycolysis). Glycolysis causes an increase in neuronal firing that causes seizures in the brain's hippocampus.

Scientists, attempting to block sugar breakdown in rats, tested a chemical glycolysis inhibitor called 2DG (2-deoxy-D-glucose), and were able to lessen the number and severity of seizures. The study was reported in Nature Neuroscience and has not been tested on humans.

Fruit Flies May Help in Epilepsy Drug Discovery

October 20, 2006
Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, has long been used in genetic research and is a fast and cost-efficient genetic model organism since the flies can be handled in large numbers and have a short life-span. Scientists have tested a new screening method for anticonvulsant drugs using fruit flies instead of laboratory rats. Specially bred strains of fruit flies have enabled the researchers to screen a larger number of chemical compounds to determine whether they cause and prevent seizure activity in the flies.

The discovery of this new screening method, with its increased throughput, sensitivity and ability to test potential therapeutic compounds in nervous systems of whole animal organisms may lead to novel chemistries that result in a new generation of antiepileptic drugs.

Kenya's National Malaria Control Campaign Combats Epilepsy

October 24, 2006
Kenya, an African country in which malaria accounts for over 34,000 deaths a year and countless lost working days, has launched a National Malaria Control Campaign and will distribute 3.4 million mosquito nets, in concert with health education messaging, over the next four years.

Malaria, in the absence of treatment drugs or in medication-immune mosquitoes, can causes serious and rapid infection progression, resulting in neurological disorders like epilepsy. The disease is particularly threatening to pregnant women and pre-natal children.

New Surgical Technique Tried to Halt Rare Disease

October 31, 2006
Batten Disease, a rare degenerative disorder in children that affects the central nervous system and is characterized by loss of vision, seizures and mobility loss is usually fatal before a child reaches puberty. In November, an Oregon surgeon will attempt surgical implantation of neural stem cells in a child's brain to try to stop Batten Disease progression.

Studies in mice have indicated that the neural cells produce an enzyme, missing in children with Batten Disease, that enables the body to break down certain fat and protein compounds that, in the absence of the enzyme, build up in nerve cells and cause those cells to stop functioning. Although tests have been performed in rats, scientists do not know the correct amount to give humans, and an excess could harm the patient.

This surgery, which could be fatal to patients, is raising ethical questions regarding trying unproven treatments in children. Researchers explain to families that, while they hope the study will result in benefits for the patients, it is an initial study designed to test whether the procedure is safe. The primary benefit of this pioneer effort may in truth be for future generations.

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